Spinning World and Running Death
by LovelyAngelYuuki
Summary: War between the ninja union and Tobi, supported by Zetsu and Kabuto, is nearing its peak. Sakura refuses to sit by and wait for the outcome. She decides to aid those who need her desperately, knowing she will have to reveal her true identity in process. And it sure seems there is more to the pinkette than meets the eye... STORY STARTS AROUND CHAPTER 576 OF MANGA! Beware changes!
1. Regretful Revelation

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Okay, so I wasn't planning on publishing this story so soon. Better said, I didn't even plan on writing it. It just came to me as I was trying to to get my main story off my head. That's why, I regret to tell you that my Fairy Tail story - Unpredicted Fate is still of a higher priority, meaning I might not update this one regularly. Now that that's clear, there is something you must know before you start reading. I DO like and read Naruto but I'd say we have an on-and-off relationship. The last manga chapter I read was the 577 and I kinda don't remember its contents. Just basic outlines of what happened. There will be many mistakes - titles and relationships mostly. Please bear with it. I also had to adjust some people's ages. You'll find out during the story. That's all, I think. Rate an Review!**  
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**Chapter 1: Regretful Revelation**

Air smelled like blood, death, hate and regret. Hell. This is hell. I knew it would be hell. What I didn't know was that it would be all MY fault. This war... Is whole MY fault. All these people wouldn't be hurt or even dead if it wasn't for me. If I didn't exist... It was really tempting. To just go outside the medical tent, get out one of my kunais and slit my wrists...

I smiled to myself bitterly. What would it help? Would anyone come back from the dead? Would this war stop? And what about my people? So many are counting on me... I remembered little Ran's and Rei's faces. They need me. It is definitely selfish of me but I won't abandon them.

Two hot streams of tears ran down my cheeks. I rubbed them off with the back of my hand. I knew that if I had a mirror right now, I would see how sadness and pathetic longing for eternal rest were replaced by determination.

I took off my medical robes, got out my weapons, took some antidotes with me and went to Shizune's tent. She, too, had hands full of work, taking care of her patients and praying not one of them dies. When she spotted me, her face said it all. She knew that whatever I have decided for myself, she won't be able to stop me. Even so, she didn't want to back down so easily. She had to at least try.

I smirked. We all have to at least try...

She couldn't talk me out of it. I wouldn't change my mind. No matter what. She was shaking her head and giving me her blessing thinking it was the last time she would see me. Funny how easily you can read people when you just stay quiet and observe. When you stay quiet and observe people's behaviour for hundreds of years...

I ran out of medical camp. Nothing for me here anymore. I didn't even glance behind to see how many patients I might have left there to die without my help. If I didn't go, there would be even more dead people. I was nearing the barricade. I knew this gate was guarded by Neji. When I got to the gate, he gave me a curious look but didn't ask anything once he saw my eyes. I can be quite scary when I'm determined.

That's how I ran right into the enemy's territory. I went right through an army of white Zetsus. Didn't care that they gave me cuts all over my body. The wounds were not serious so I just ignored them.

After hour and half of running through the forest,I knew I was nearing them. I could feel their chakras. Five kages, two animated corpses. One of them,I knew thanks to the typical clan chakra pattern, was Madara Uchiha. There was something wrong with his chakra so I concentrated more.

_Ah, so that's what it was... _Apparently the first Hokage was fused with Madara. Must say that I really hadn't thought of this kind of use of Edo tensei technique when I created it... Kabuto is really creative if nothing else. Minute and half until I see them.

I took a deep breath before I set foot on the clearing where the fight of five kages and Madara was taking place.

_Time to get serious... _I thought as six pairs of eyes watched my entrance. From the disappointment on the kages's faces I guessed they were expecting someone else. Whatever.

"Hello shisou!" I cried out. I got a very sour and enraged look as a response. Well , I could have expected that. She is Tsunade, after all.

"What the fuck do you think you are doing here?!" she cried out after she finally understood that the sour look doesn't work on me.

"What? You're asking? I'm here to help, of course." I gave her a look like she was stupid. I'm going to blow up my cover soon so why bother with respect and formal speech?

"Medic ninjas are not allowed to fight! It's the first rule I taught you, so get the fuck back into the medic camp!"

I plainly ignored her and continued to approach the group of now losing kages. I had to shake my head at their states. Raikage was so out of control that he was sending lightning all around him. _That much for conserving your chakra... _Tsuchikage's age was his main problem, that I saw. He was standing slightly slumped back. _Seniors should really be prevented from fighting..._Gaara was breathing raggedly. I guess he was the one who took most of the large scales attacks so that the Mizukage and foul-mouthed Tsunade-sama could fight from close range. Everyone was beaten up. Well except, of course, Madara. I sighed. _The one to take him on will really have to be me... _

Now that I've confirmed the situation of the battling sides, it was time to check out the main spectator – corpse possessed by Kabuto. Even with that mask, I knew he had a stupid grin on his face. Guess he has had it ever since I appeared.

"SAKURA! I'M NOT GOING TO REPEAT MYSELF! GET THE FUCK AWAY!" really, Tsunade never fails to do what I expect her to.

"I already said I'm not going anywhere. You NEED ME. I am the only one able to beat Madara." They must have thought I was acting like an extremely stupid stuck up child rushing to death. They all turned to look at me. Even Madara. Yep, they DO think I'm a stupid bitch who wants to get killed.

I simply frowned and smiled my best smile at Madara. No reaction. _Oh come on.._. I started pouting.

"So, it seems like he's got you good, huh..." I said without turning to the now hella mad kages. We were only few feets apart, I sure hoped they won't attack me. Betrayed trust hurts more than a broken leg or rib...

"Why do you think YOU can beat me, kid?" asked me a cold voice I haven't heard in decades. I smiled once again.

"Because out of all these people I know you the best."

"How could YOU, almost an infant know ANYTHING about ME? You impudent child."

I let the smile freeze onto my face. I was sure I looked like Sai. That made me giggle. With that I undid seals on both my chakra, ninjutsu, taijutsu and genjutsu. I wouldn't be able to beat him if I didn't. Seals released with a big BOOM sound and I could see out of the corner of my eyes that Tsunade lost balance for a second, being pushed by an energy explosion. Wide eyed she did a double take on me. She hadn't expected that. Nor did Madara by the stare that he was giving me now. He was still waiting for an answer to his question so I did answer him.

"I AM NO KID. MADARA." I breathed in. " Really, some would think you'd be happy to fight with someone of your own clan... But it doesn't seem like that is the case.."

"YOU are one of the current Uchihas? Don't be ridiculous. With that hair colour and foul tongue you can only be a freak monkey. You're dishonouring my clan by calling yourself an Uchiha."

_He has a point..._Even I don't like this stupid hair colour. Once again I sighed._ I didn't plan on __removing the seal on my body so soon..._Then I thought better of it. _What would I gain by changing my appearance now? I still need to get to Naruto and help him. Who would he trust better: his pink __haired teammate and first love, or bad ass looking kunoichi with enormous chakra capacity which is four times that of a Kyuubi? _Instead I replied.

"I will SO enjoy this when the 'pink haired foul mouthed freaky monkey' beats the crap out of you" I grinned evilly.

That's when the fight started. After the release of my chakra Tsunade didn't seem to mind my presence so much. For that I was grateful.

I activated my sharingan and boldly ran for Madara with my fist ready to correct his typical Uchiha style stuck up face. I knew he wasn't stupid enough to let himself get hit by this kind of attack. It wasn't really my goal to hit him and he also knew that. My aim was to make him think of me as the one who uses cowardly techniques to get his attention and strike hard when he least expects it.

Ten feet to go. Madara used First's technique and tried to trap me in wood cage. I made it seem like he really got me, but the truth was he only got substitute. Really well-made substitute. Meaning – a corpse pumped with chakra.

He hadn't expected to see a corpse. It was evident in the way he stared at it one second longer than needed. I used that second to punch him. My chakra with the seals released was of a much better 'quality' (as I personally call it) than before. I managed to break his neck. It wasn't much of a damage, at least to a walking corpse, and it would repair itself in about 3 seconds. But until then, his attacks won't be as accurate and his aim off because of his altered sight. I used that chance to pin his legs to the ground with kunais. Two into each.

Then I decided to go for his back, out of his arm's reach.

I was already at his back readying myself to pierce his heart with my hand. I was battling with time but I had to make sure I got his heart, not lung.

My hand was already inside his body, fighting its way through his ribs when I gritted my teeth and started cheering myself on. _Just a bit more. _And then, Madara let flames engulf his whole body along with me at his back.

I predicted this move so it didn't startle or surprise me. And it sure as hell didn't take a genius like me to realize it was only a genjutsu. In truth, he was controlling flame arrows so that they would get to my unprotected back. There was not going to be any burning pink haired witch.

_Useless. _My hand still going for his heart, I made a water sphere around both of us and made it appear like I was trying to put out the fake flames he made. In reality inside the sphere was another jutsu. It was a water whip, which I made sharp enough to take his head. I managed to draw few drops of blood from his neck before he finally understood that the genjutsus won't work on me and the water sphere took care of the measly arrows.

Obviously he came to conclusion that he had underestimated me and was now struggling for his 'life'.

"You had more noble reasons to give up your life than you have now to protect it." I whispered into his ear.

Anger radiated off him as he decided to use rinnegan to control me. This time I was lucky. Because my hand was still in his body, I could feel his chakra flows more clearly. As it started gathering into his operated eye, I changed my eye techniques instantly and used my own rinnegan to protect my mind from his attack.

_As if an implanted rinnegan could beat the real one... _From the moment I saw Madara's eyes, I had a plan. I was counting on the fact that he couldn't possibly know about my rinnegan and I seemingly let down my defenses right from the start. Ignoring his astonishment at his failed attempt to make me succumb to his will, I concentrated solely on my hand piercing his chest. Very slowly, it inched closer to his heart. The whole time, Madara was stabbing my side with a kunai, trying to get rid of me. Without success.

Once I held his heart in my hand, I poured unbelievable amount of my chakra into it, until I found what I was looking for – piece of Kabuto's soul. Piece of soul of Edo tensei user looks like a shard of a coloured glass. I grabbed it with all my might and pulled it out.

With that, the fight was over. Madara lost the moment I got to his back.

His body was dead and his soul was supposed to be in the land of dead, not here. The only thing that kept his soul in his body here was piece of Kabuto's living soul and now that I pulled it out, there was nothing to hold him here. Basically that piece of soul fooled the destiny into thinking that that person was still alive.

Madara's legs gave away and he fell to the ground. I turned him onto his back even as his body started to turn into white flakes.

"Who...?" he asked me. I smiled at him, kneeling by his side and bent down a little to caress his cheek. Then I moved my lips to his ear. "Reincarnation of your uncle." Understanding spread over his face. He even spared me a smile as he turned into white flakes similar to ashes. Then his soul moved on.

As I stood back up, I found out that the body Kabuto used as a spectator was long since gone. I looked down at piece of a soul I was still unconsciously holding. Shrugging, I threw it away. Even if Kabuto got it back, he wouldn't be able to fuse it back into his body. I touched this piece, meaning I dirtied it, estranged it.

Truth to be told, I was disappointed with this fight. I expected it to be more... Just longer. Then again, I was glad Madara hadn't suffered much. Long lost memory of his little child form running around and laughing merrily flashed before my eyes. Making sure my face was not visible to kages, I let tears that accompanied the memory flow freely for a few second before I wiped them away.

When I was sure my face was void of any hint of sadness, I moved back to flaking remains of Madara's body and took out first Hokage's head. Unfortunately for him, he was still very much aware of his surroundings._ I wonder what it felt like to be inside someone else's body..._. I shivered at the thought. "So what do you want me to do with you?" I half-jokingly asked him. He glared at me for my joke but answered. "I'd like to speak to my grandchild."

Yes, there was still piece of Kabuto's soul inside him but with just a head he couldn't hurt even a squirrel. Still holding the head by hair I walked up to the gaping kages.

"Shishou, there is someone who would like to speak with you." feeling stupid I giggled. Still in shock she nodded and walked up to me. I handed her 'Mr. Head' as I nicknamed him the second I pulled him up by his hair and decided to check everyone's injuries in Tsunade's place.

Mizukage had minor cut on her thigh and broken arm. Sounds worse than it is. Since I was in a better mood after beating Madara, I completely healed her injuries right away without breaking a sweat. Next was Tsuchikage. His whining about his back was starting to get on my nerves so I made sure I poured extra healing chakra into it, making it at least 10 years younger. I skipped healing Raikage with words: "Hurt pride, that I can't heal."

Gaara fared the worst. He had almost no chakra left, meaning he was on a verge of death. "Those adults, making youngsters work their asses off." I hissed under my breath as I was transfering some of my chakra to Gaara and I think he smiled at me.

Tsunade is a Medic nin so I didn't even offer her my medical help as she returned back to us. I asked her about 'Mr. Head' (No, I didn't call him that to her face,) and she simply said he flaked away. I shrugged and said something along the lines 'His soul is in peace now' and 'He's where he's supposed to be'. That about concluded everything I thought was necessary to do at the time.

"So how about we move onto the next battlefield?" I started simply. Should have known that wouldn't work.

"Sakura, we have to talk." I gave my master a look saying 'are you serious?'. She didn't say anything. _Oh hell. _She gestured for me to come closer to her, so I did. I knew it would end badly but even so I did.

As soon as I was within her range of reach, she took me by my neck and held me high in air. _Damn. _"Who are you and where is the real Sakura?" _Wow. That one came sooner than I expected. _"There is no... real... Sakura... Haruno..." I was really short of air by the time I finished the statement and talking would be soon impossible for me. "Don't play with me! WHERE. IS. SHE" "Never ...existed. It... my undercover... identity for eleven... years." This time I literally choked out the words, not caring I spoke only the key words. I needed to gain her trust. Fast. "Ask... me... something." Not good. I was starting to see some blue things and the whole world was taking shades of red. "What was my response to Sakura's request for me to be her master?" _Geez. This one's real easy. _"No... way... in.. hell... wimp... Unless.. you... have... sake." Tsunade abruptly let go.

I kinda understood why she asked me that. At that time, she was drinking sake as if there was no tomorrow on the roof of hospital. It was at midnight and there was no one around, meaning no one would be able to know about it unless he was there. As for me, I remembered the night clearly. It was the first time I've seen Tsunade actually drunk. Also, her answer really ticked me off. And, to top it off, she fell asleep right after that and I had to carry her down to her office so she wouldn't catch something, or even worse – be discovered by someone. Simply, it was an unforgettable night.

All thorough the thinking, I was rubbing my neck. It hurt. Really hurt. That changed my train of thoughts to present.

_Was about time. Really, getting killed by a mere human woman to whom I just proved I was stronger would be really embarrassing... _"So you're saying Sakura Haruno was your undercover identity for eleven years." I nodded, still getting used to the feel of oxygen in my lungs. "That would mean you have been in undercover since you were five. That's when you got adopted." This time I shook my head. _Dammit, why can't she just give me yes or no questions? "_Body transformation, Memory seal, Chakra and Ninjustu seals. I'm actually 27." She just stared at me. "So the body transformation you used changed your appearance according to age?" "Yeah. At the time I changed, I was 16. I also changed pattern of my chakra, my height, body type, whole face including colour of my eyes and hair and also my voice." Word 'unbelievable' was written all over her face. "Why did you need an undercover identity?" _What to do now? _I was mentally tired and my throat hurt._ Truth. "_I was 4th Hokage's adopted child. I once followed him and his team on a mission outside of Konoha, which is as you surely know, forbidden. I helped them while I was there, meaning they discovered I followed them. I was scared of being given to another foster parents I didn't like and I was ashamed of disobeying the orders, so I ran away from home. Years later I found out about my biological family. My younger brother who was fifteen at the time, asked me to take care of our five-year-old brother. He was left alone. I didn't want to be recognized so I changed appearance and my age to get close to my baby bro." She, just like all the other kages, heard my exclamation of identity, meaning my telling Madara I was one of the Uchihas but she was smart enough to ask her followig question. "What's your real name?" _Well that was a hard one. I had many names, mostly from my adoptive parents. _"Shizuka, Sabaku no Namikaze Uchiha Shizuka." I knew that all of the kages had been eyeing me the whole time, but now they were staring at me so hard, I thought their eyes would pop out. I had to explain. "I was born as Uchiha Shizuka. When I was five and half, I was adopted by Namikaze Minato. Then when I ran away, I lived many years in forests and when I started to crave human company, I went to Suna. Third Kazekage recognized my fighting abilities and adopted me. Two years later, Itachi contacted me and I left for Konoha."

Silence ensued. It was broken by person I least expected to say something, Gaara.

"Shizu-neechan?" I was ashamed of myself. I didn't deserve him calling me like that anymore. I had left him when he needed me the most – when the hate for the One-Tails reached its peak. I didn't want to look him in the eye, so I looked at the ground. I didn't move and I think I wasn't even breathing. Sounds. It sounded like a person standing up. I could feel him. He was right in front of me. I hid my face in the palms of my hands and was desperate to keep them there when he was trying to remove them. _I'm such a hypocrite_. I so much wanted him to call me that again and at the same time I didn't want to even look at him. He managed to get my hands away from my eyes. I had nowhere to hide, so I took all my courage and looked up. I expected him to hate me for leaving him alone at that place. But when our eyes met, they were full of... I looked again. Yes, that's right full of _love _and _admiration. _Emotions he had learned again only recently_. _"It really is you, Shizu-neechan." he said with that sweet voice of his. "You don't hate me?" I finally asked him."Of course not." he smiled wider. That's when I hugged him and cried on his shoulder. _The person I had hurt the most during my life actually forgave me_... When there were no more tears to cry, I pulled out of the embrace in which Gaara enveloped me and looked up at Tsunade. I think her eyes were suspiciously shiny. She had to cough to make her voice get out right.

"Well since it seems that Kazekage is willing to vouche for credibility of this girl, and I do too -"

I didn't understand how she could say that when she didn't even know about me 20 minutes ago. It was as if Tsuchikage read my mind."Hokage, are you sure about this? You didn't even know about this girl until now. Are you really willing to risk her betrayal?" Tsunade turned to look at the old man with her intimidating look. It didn't work on him but that didn't faze the female Sannin one bit. "You may not believe it, but I had known of existence of this kunoichi for a very long time. What I didn't know, was her location." "What do you mean you knew of her existence?" asked eagerly Mizukage. "It is all written in ten of the top secret scrolls of Konoha. These ten scrolls are basically the Fourth Hokage's diaries. Every single one of them tells of the days he spent with his adoptive daughter named Shizuka." Surprised gasps escaped all of us. I hadn't known that the thing Dad was writing was a diary about me. "Now that you know this, you can surely understand how it is that I know the girl." she glanced at me. "Now, if you would let me continue my verdict..." No one objected.

"Considering the fact that she did save us, we could overlook her eleven years of lying to Konoha... AS IF, YOU DUMBASS!" She hit me on the head. Hard. "I will forgive you, and even accept you as a Konoha kunoichi, but you will have to work your ass off, you will be demoted and you'll have to first help us end this war." I sighed and nodded. Somehow it was one of the Shishou's specialties to break the serious mood. Then I replayed her words in my head and came to a simple conclusion. _I will accept whatever she throws at me. If it were any other kage, except of course, Gaara, I would end up arrested and eventually sentenced to death. But I'm pretty much scared of that 'work your ass off' part... I'm probably going to do her paperwork again. _Suddenly I felt like crying even harder than I had before..

Tsunade, unfortunately, wasn't finished yet. "Now that I think about it, you said you used Memory seal... So when did the seal break?" "Two months ago, when I-" I frowned and corrected my mistake, "-Sakura turned 16." That got her thinking. _God help me._

Gaara was now standing up. He offered me his hand and I gladly took it.

Since Tsunade didn't say anything else, and the others seemed lost in their own thoughts, I took the opportunity to voice my opinion on what we should do next.

"It's time to kick some Bijuu ass." I exclaimed trying to add a bit of a cheerful edge to it.

"How do you think we goin' to do that, genius?" Well, well, it seems like Raikage was still sulking over my pride comment.

He didn't expect any answer, but I gave it to him anyway. "I've got a plan."

Frankly, I think I'm getting used to the staring.


	2. Double Queen

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! Hi guys! Since my main story is coming along pretty well, I've decided to work on this side story and this is the result - second chappie. Yay! Review :D**  
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**Chapter 2: Double Queen**

It would take ages to explain the plan, so instead of saying anything, I set it in motion.

I turned to the direction of the moon, which of course, wasn't visible during the day but I still felt it. Then I howled. It was that melodic, melancholic and somewhat spooky howling that wolves sometimes make.

The second I began making that sound, every kage except Gaara jumped a little and took a few steps backwards. I must say I don't blame them. No human should be able to make that sound. Except I wasn't fully human.

When I stopped, Gaara slowly came closer to me and put his hand on my shoulder, turning me to him. "Are you alright, Shizu-neechan?" I smiled at him. Hell, no teenager should go around saying 'neechan' without blushing. Gaara didn't seem to care.

I patted his hand on my shoulder to reassure him and swiftly turned my head to direction from which sounds of movement came. Fortunately the wind was blowing right my way so I caught the scent of the ones making that sounds. _They came._ I grinned and nodded my head as a sign for them to come closer.

Other kages were now looking at me like I was crazy. Of course they didn't have as good hearing or sense of smell as I did, so the only thing they were aware of was my sudden stiffening and then my head nodding.

Before I could tell them something like 'I'm not crazy' or 'Stop staring at me, which would only make them more suspicious, two wolves of Akamaru's size shot out of the bushes on the clearing's edge. They went straight for me but the kages didn't know that. Adjusting their positions to combat ones, they were getting ready to repel attacks they were sure were coming.

"Calm down." I told the kages. "They're with me. I called them." It didn't seem like they were even listening to me, but when the wolves reached our group, kages didn't strike at them as I thought they would. Wolves cautiously proceeded until they were standing right before me. Then they laid down before me, showing me their most vulnerable parts in act of submission. Since I wasn't a wolf (at least at the moment), I kneeled beside them and put one of my kunais on each of their throats, showing them I acknowledge their submission. Then they shook off the dirt that got on their fur and looked expectantly at me.

I, instead of giving them orders, looked them over. Those two were exact opposites of each other. One of them had beautiful white fur and icy blue eyes. Aura of calmness and kindness surrounded him. The other was a bit bigger than the first one, had black fur and bloody red eyes. Fury and will to fight radiated from him. It was funny how those two became best friends. Even I didn't understand that.

"Akira." I looked back to the white one. "I want you to mobilize all of the Fenrir and Valkyrie units and help humans fend off the attacks of white Zetsus. Humans can't feel the evil intent. I trust you to find and kill every human impostor on sight." The wolf grumbled. "You may go." And so the wolf ran back the exact same path he came. I turned my attention to the black one. "Haruto." He growled back in response and I smiled down at him. I couldn't help it. I bent down and scratched him behind his ear. He gave me an angry look and I giggled. I regained some sense of responsibility, stood up and gave him a mission. "Contact the person we have in the centre of union. Make him tell the human telepathic unit that the kages have found reinforcements and want the others to know that they are Wolves of Olden and that they are on their side." Haruto wasn't stupid. He looked over at the stunned kages.

"Y-You.." stuttered Raikage. "You have infiltrated our main centre and now are trying to seize control over it?!" By now, he was furious and he jumped at me in attempt to beat me to a pulp. Haruto immediately reacted to the threat and jumped at him, knocking him to ground. Then he used one of his earth sealing techniques that made my attacker unable to move or use any jutsu. The black wolf then walked back to my side glancing at the other kages, trying to predict their next moves.

I sighed and did the same.

Gaara was closest to me. He didn't think I was betraying them, that was clear from his relaxed posture though he did stiffen a bit when he saw what the wolf did. Tsunade... Well, Tsunade was Tsunade. She did her best to appear calm and reasonable but the anger she felt was clear from her scent. She still trusted me. I was sure of that. She just wasn't happy with me at the moment. Mizukage looked lost in her thoughts and Tsuchikage was absolutely calm. I was relieved. If at least two of them still trusted me, I still had chance to make them reasonable.

"I do not plan on betraying anyone and I haven't planned any infiltration either. It just so happens that one of the people there is one of my ex-subjects. Also, you still have choice. If you want me to, I can call the wolves off though I think help of 300 soldiers with enormous chakra capacities combined with skill that allows them to tell apart allies and enemies would be helpful." It was no use. Raikage wasn't even listening to me. He was mumbling something about spies.

I hopefully looked at Tsuchikage. He looked like seeing two big wolves hadn't surprised him in the least, meaning he knew about our race. Mizukage must have noticed that too, because she glanced at him and asked him what he thought of my suggestion. "It would be honour to fight alongside such a legendary fighters. Also, I guarantee you that what she said is true. According to my information, even the weakest of the Wolves of Olden have chakra capacity that is equal to that of one fourth of a Bijuu." He grinned at the gasps of surprise his statement earned and came closer to me and bowed. "It is a great pleasure to meet you."

I repaid him with similar bow and then he turned to threateningly look at the furious Tsunade and Raikage. "You youngsters are so stupid. Insulting their Queen?!" he reprimanded the latter of them. "Have you lost your mind?! If she decides to get her revenge at us, we would stand no chance even if we weren't currently in war! I once heard that 30 of their people are enough to take on a whole country in five days..." That shut up even the hot-headed leader of the Union.

Tsunade was visibly contemplating Tsuchikage's words. She seemed to make her mind as she looked at me. "We do indeed need help. I, Hokage, accept your help and give you my permission to inform the telepathic squad." One by one they agreed with Tsunade's decision. Even that hot-headed Raikage didn't want to see his brother dead just because his pride prevented him from accepting help.

"Thank you," I nodded at them. "Haruto, don't forget to make sure that they warn humans of our appearance. I don't want you guys to get killed needlessly." The black wolf was just gazing at me.

It took me a while to realize what he wanted. I grinned at him and knelt down so that I could look him in the eyes. I slowly inched closer to the dangerous animal and kissed his nose. He huffed and licked my own nose as a response. Suppressing giggle that threatened to come out, I let him teleport to the human headquarters.

My companions just gave me curious expressions, which I ignored.

"So, now that the Wolves have their missions, how about I call the others?"

"Who are these 'others' you speak of, Queen of Wolves?" asked me Tsuchikage. "Please, call me Shizuka."

I gave him a mischievous smile and whistled. Not even second later, three dragons landed behind me. Not sparing them even a glance, I told them to share their chakra with the kages. And so they did. I also told them to send Sirial's unit to assist the Wolves from shadows.

Humans might be able to accept existence of the Wolves of Olden, but they surely weren't ready to accept the existence of dragons. And that brought me back to humans who just found out about them.

"Meet Veli, Eira and Zosimos." I introduced the newcomers pointing first to emerald green dragon, then snow white and the last one – bloody red. "These three are ones of my most loyal servants among the Sky Race. I would very much appreciate it if their existence stayed secret."

I knew they would agree. Especially with three of the mystical creatures standing right behind me. Well, let's be honest. Who in their right mind wouldn't?

After that matter was attended to, I repeated my earlier question.

"How about we go kick some Bijuu ass?" This time, their response was swift and positive.


	3. Family Trust

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! I'm back! ... That's about all I wanted to say... Read and Review!

**Chapter 3: Family Trust**

I sent the dragons back to Mount Shinwa and started relaying the kages my strategy.

"I will take care of the device that is supposed to revive the Ten-Tails."

"How do you plan to do that? Report from the Information Bureau says there's a barrier around it and that only the one who activated it can come near." said Mizukage. "Don't worry about that. I'll manage." I met my gaze with Gaara's, who looked extremely curious, but didn't say anything and so I continued explaining.

"The ones fighting at Tobi's location right at the moment are Gai, Kakashi, Naruto and Killer Bee. Everyone except Naruto are being held back by the Bijuus controlled by Tobi. Situation there seems unstable. Naruto has managed to reach some kind of a agreement with Kyuubi and they are fighting as one. Unfortunately they aren't in perfect sync. They will be only able to fight for 4 more minutes. Also, Kakashi and Gai are almost out of chakra." "How can you tell?" questioned me Raikage. "I'm partly a sensor type ninja. I can sense all of the chakra changes within 60 kilometre radius."

In human terms, that was hardly extent of abilities of a 'partly sensor type ninja'. It went far beyond abilities of the best known sensor types. They didn't comment on it. After seeing the Wolves and Dragons, they seemed willing to slightly adjust their views of the world.

"So you're saying we have to hurry up." summarized Tsunade. I nodded and told them what I want them to do.

"I suggest Tsunade takes care of Kakashi and Gai; Raikage, along with Mizukage, aid Killer Bee in fighting the Bijuus and Tsuchikage and Gaara help Naruto take on Tobi. Is that okay with you?"

They seemed to consider it for a moment. Tsunade was a medic nin, so there was no question about her role. Raikage was itching to fight alongside his brother again. Tsuchikage's and Gaara's abilities were pretty compatible, making them a great duo and Naruto trusted Gaara, which was a plus when fighting as a team. Mizukage was capable of landing large scale attacks (though she was more skilled in close range), which might prove to be useful against horde of controlled Bijuus.

The strategy wasn't perfect, but no one could say it wasn't a good plan.

Or so they thought until Gaara pointed out one little detail. "You will have to take care of the device alone. Are you sure you don't need reinforcements?" I shook my head. "No, I need to do this alone. And as Mizukage pointed out, there is a barrier around it. No matter how many back-ups I have, they will be useless." Kages still looked sceptic but had to accept it.

"What about the Edo tensei user, Kabuto?" asked Tsuchikage.

"Someone's already working on it." "Who?" I smiled knowingly."Itachi Uchiha."

I was rewarded with not very appraising looks that I elegantly ignored.

"But... Even if he wasn't dead and controlled by Kabuto, he's one of the Akatsuki! Surely he won't thwart Akatsuki's plans..." "Itachi managed to get out of the Kabuto's control. I can feel it from his chakra."

_And his soul. Not that they'd believe that statement. _

"Also, no matter how much you don't want to believe it, he will get rid of Kabuto. For the sake of his younger brother, who was brainwashed by Tobi's and Kabuto's words. They made Sasuke lose sight of Itachi's wishes and surely he won't leave it like that."

"How can you be so sure he's on our side?!" demanded Raikage.

"You're forgetting something, gentlemen." they looked taken aback by my icy calm words.

"He's the same man who killed all of his clan members, except that one younger brother he was trying to protect whatever the cost, when he was 15. He has no mercy on those who mess with Sasuke. And he's my younger brother. If that's not enough to persuade you, I swear I shall kill Kabuto myself after I take care of the Ten-Tails device. That is, if he's still alive by then."

They had no other choice but to give in. They didn't know Kabuto's whereabouts, and Tobi's destruction was of a higher priority. Sure, Kabuto's undead army could kill countless ninjas but Tobi will take control of everyone in this world if we don't stop him.

With that we took off to the direction of main battlefield, pushing our bodies to the limit to get there before Naruto runs out of time.

_Wait for me guys. Naruto, Ku-chan..._


	4. Reincarnated Bonds

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hi guys! I'm uploading this short chapter in celebration of my birthday. Yes, it is today :) Enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Reincarnated Bonds**

Power of the wind whipping my face increased with every step I took. My mind was racing, my legs speeding. I wasn't even running anymore. I was gliding.

_3 minutes..._ _Only three minutes left until Naruto collapses._

Time was flying fast. Faster than I was gliding. Pushing that nagging realization to the back of my mind, I tried to think positively.

_We will make it. We have to. _

Encouraged by my fake words, I sped up even more.

My speed didn't decrease even when I shot out of the forest. I didn't care that I landed right beside two Bijuus. I wasn't their opponent so they ignored me.

I glanced at Naruto. He was enveloped in Kyuubi's chakra, pushing Tobi into corner.

_Focus. I have a mission. A goal._

I took off straight for the Ten-Tails, dodging its attacks. Nasty black kunais, shurikens and katanas flew by me, their smell letting me know they were made solely from chakra. There was not an ounce of matter in them.

Unfortunately, my speed wasn't much of a help here. I had to expertly predict trajectory of every chakra weapon and then move my body accordingly. It was a total hassle and I was thankful for my Sharingan and sharp mind. Without those, I would be a goner.

Ten-Tails' attacks were slowing down.

I used that chance to look closely at my target. It was as ugly as I remembered it from the day I created it. So robust, so grotesque, so... effective. It indeed was a device capable of creating monster with power equal to that of a god. My stomach clenched in unease.

I was too caught up in my thoughts and didn't realize that one of the chakra blades was less that 3 feet away from me, aimed at my heart. I ducked at the last second and it hit me in the shoulder.

I felt the acid-like chakra spreading through my veins, infecting my every cell. And then, just as suddenly as it came, it disappeared. The black chakra melted into mine and clearly visible midnight blue swirls of my own spiritual energy floated around me in thick layers, enveloping me protectively.

The moment its chakra became my own, the Ten-Tails ceased all of its attacks, allowing me access to its barrier.

_Finally recognized your true master, huh?_

Again, I was gliding to my enemy fearlessly. I took off the ground only inches before the barrier and flew right through the wall of sickeningly dark energy.

The feeling I got when inside, was sickening, It was as if I was floating in a bottomless pit of despair, seeing different memories each time I moved forward.

People picking on young Jinchuurikis, assasins coming for the innocent vessels, psychical torture exacted on them by their own family members... Those were mingled memories of the Jinchuurikis whose life essences were sucked into the device along with Tailed Beasts they carried within.

Then the images changed. One-Tails was enjoying a nap in the desert when he was attacked by ninjas out of nowhere. He hadn't hurt anyone and yet he was hunted down. Same plot repeated over and over with different scenes and different actors. Those were the mournful memories of beasts who were driven to act like monsters, while the true monsters were the humans scorning them.

It hurt to see them suffer. Both the Jinchuurikis and the Beasts.

I pushed against the barrier more vigorously now. _I will free them. Free them all from this repeating cycle of hate._

With that, I managed to get to the other side of blackness and landed on the ground right before the monstrous device. I took up my pace again and jumped on its head, the highest spot I could see. There, I sat down in a meditation pose, not worrying about my safety.

The device will not attack me. I knew that for sure. The moment our chakras melded together, it recognized me enough not to hurt me, meaning I gained a bit of control over the Ten-Tails. It wasn't complete, though. Thanks to the chakra transmitters placed in the bodies of the Tailed Beasts, Tobi could do what he wanted with them. All despite the fact they were now part of the device.

I had to change that before I even attempted to destroy Ten-Tails. I wasn't about to sacrifice the lives of the Beasts and the Jinchuurikis, if I could save them.

I took a big breath and let myself submerge into my consciousness. It was a safe haven I entered whenever a big challenge stood before me. Place I went when I sought advice and rest.

I willed myself to go deeper, into the part of my mind where my memories were located.

It always reminded me of gallery. Only that the paintings were moving and were chaotically scattered everywhere. Recent memories mingled with older ones, important with the insignificant ones.

I concentrated on sorting though them, pushing the newest images to the back and calling the old ones to the front. Then I paced along the invisible corridor until I found my earliest memories as Shizuka. Those I pushed behind me and closed the door that would separate them from me for now. The hall was empty the moment I did so.

That was only an illusion and I knew it. There were so many things to remember even before 'Shizuka Uchiha' was born...

Taking a deep breath, I remembered my last reincarnation. Then the next and next, going deeper into past, until I found the one I was looking for. The Sage of Six Paths. The Bringer of Peace. I let the memories of that persona flood me and I silently observed the happenings, not lingering on any image longer than necessary. Until I got to that one.

I was taking care of the little Tailed Beasts, teaching them kindness and importance of life, patting their heads when they showed they understood what I meant.

That last memory was the one I clutched onto. It was the key. I willed myself to remember their voices, smells, emotions I felt at that time... And soon found myself standing in a familiar white room.

It was a place etched deep into the Bijuus's minds. Place where we could all talk no matter where we were. Place, where our minds were almost one.

I called out to them one by one, using their names. Names I gave them upon their birth.

"_Shukaku, Matabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken, Chomei, Gyuki, Kurama..."_


	5. Fragile Choices

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! Hi guys! You missed me? Well, let's get straight to the point. You might've noticed I decided to remove the Sakura Haruno tag. One overly criticizing review inspired me to do it. But I want to make it clear to you, that in no way am I saying that the main character is not Sakura. Yeah, her name and status might have changed. She has gained new friends and many new connections and her appearance is different too. But inside, it is still Sakura. There is no other Sakura in this story than her. Look at Shizuka like a changed and stronger Sakura, 'kay? That's all I wanted to say. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Fragile Choices**

Calmly, I was standing inside that white room, the border of our fused minds, waiting for the others to join me.

It was more than clear to me that first impression was critically important in this case. If they didn't like me and Kurama wasn't there, my attempt to stop the whole war would be doomed.

I had to show myself to them without any pretenses. That's why I took on my true form. The form that Fugaku and Mikoto Uchiha gave birth to – Shizuka.

As Shizuka, I was two inches taller than in my pink-haired form and also more curvier. My most noticeable trait were my waist-long, straight, violet hair, which I usually wore braided and in a high ponytail. Crowning my simple hairstyle was a baby blue-tinted glass hairpin. My choice of jewellery, along with my uncommon hair colour only highlighted strangeness of my deep sapphire irises with sinister-looking, charcoal black pupils. My eyes, in contrast, always uniquely stood out against my very pale complexion, which would surely make me centre of attention, if it were not for my ninja masking skills.

My face as a whole was also no exception to my other unique features. I had a delicately shaped small nose and just rightly full pink lips. My unusual eyes were cat-like and slightly slanted, making me look fierce and innocent at the same time.

Dragons often revered me as an extraordinary beauty, but I didn't agree. I was a warrior. I have no need for being called 'a beauty'.

Since this whole negotiation would take place only in mind, I've decided to take advantage of that - I changed my clothes.

It was no big surprise I chose to wear my usual ninja attire - sapphire yukata with incredibly light baby blue sakura print. Tied around my waist was a white, thin sash. Because I was a ninja, I could not afford to wear the long yukata, which would restrain my movement. Hence the yukata, unlike the usual ones, reached only past my behind.

However, I had no problem with the impossibly long sleeves, lined with white ribbon. The extra pieces of clothing that looked like they would get in my way, served well to hide my arms, which were covered with black tattoos reaching just past my elbow. It was inevitable for me to hide them. It would be easy to identify me by them.

Understandably, it would be improper for me to fight wearing only yukata, so under the sapphire piece of clothing, I was wearing black cycling shorts, black sports bra and standard black fishnet shirt.

The combination was easy to move in, looked inconspicuous and was light. It was also easy to hide numbers of weapon holsters under the loose piece of clothing, especially in the sleeves. I could not even count how many times those additional weapons saved my life...

As was custom of most ninjas, I wore a thigh kunai holster. To prevent it from sliding down, it was safely pinned to a white bandage circling my thigh, under it. The holster was always accompanied by my trademark weapon sack, attached to my surprisingly well-fastened sash. That concluded all of my weaponry.

I was long since ready, when my awaited companions appeared. One by one, they simply came into being. The last ones to come before me were Gyuki and Kurama, which was understandable since they were out there fighting for their lives along with their hosts.

They took a good look at me, and only then did they turn to the one I figured would be the spokesperson.

"Who are you?" Saiken's authoritative voice echoed thorough the room. Power and promise of danger was hidden under those three words. He intended to scare me and I knew it. In response he surely hadn't anticipated, I glared at him, disgusted. I thought I taught them better than to fling their status of power around them.

But before I had a chance to so much as reprimand him, Kurama spoke up.

Looking at me with suspiciously glistening and focused eyes, his voice sounded like music to my ears. "Shizuka? Is that you?" He was uncertain at first, but with every word, he gained confidence in his conclusion.

Sighing with content and relief, I answered him. "Yes, Ku-chan. It's me."

If the Tailed Beasts weren't staring at me before, now they were glaring daggers at me, offended by the way I addressed one of their own. _Maybe I shouldn't have used that nickname... _Even as I thought it, I knew it was impossible not to. I couldn't help it. It came to me so naturally...

Upon hearing me calling him by nickname I gave him while staying with Minato and Kushina, he grinned at me and went to stand to my left. It clearly told the others I was a trustworthy person and they visibly relaxed.

Unfortunately, it also meant he had better access to me. He sniffed me and then nudged my back with his nose. Despite myself, I giggled and and patted the Kyubi's enormous paw affectionately. Only then did I continue.

"I really would love to talk to you guys about various things, but we have no time." Everyone nodded in understanding. They might not know what I had in plan for them, but it was clear as a day we had no time to spare.

"I'm here to give you a choice. Either way, all of you will be freed. That I guarantee."

Son Goku was about to interrupt me, when I silenced him by raising my hand. I wasn't very hyper about the look he gave me, but he obliged, for which I was grateful.

"I have no time for further explaining, so here is my plan. I am going to divide one third of my chakra between those of you, who have been forced inside the Ten-Tails. I want you to use it to push the chakra stakes out of your bodies. Understood?" It was simple and their simultaneous nods confirmed it.

"Then, I will pour the second third of my chakra into the Ten-Tails. The high-concentrated foreign chakra should be able to shatter at least part of the device from inside, giving you opening for escape." When said out loud, it sounded really pathetic and weak, but there was nothing else I could do. I hurried to take on where I stopped, trying my best not to let the Bijuus notice my hesitation.

"Once you're out, You will regain your true forms, meaning you'll be free of any seals." There was no cheering to be heard. Not that I expected to hear any.

The only one who would be happy to be free of his host, would be Kurama and the way he saw it, I wasn't talking to him when I presented that fact.

"This is where the choice part comes." I abruptly turned to Hachibi, who, in surprise jumped a little.

"Gyuki. I know you are on good terms with your host. I give you this choice. Do you wish to be free, or remain sealed inside Killer Bee?"

His answer came instantly. "I wish to remain with my host, sealed." Sometimes, living beings were content to go on about their lives as they have. That was partly the reason I had to ask him, not just free him.

I tried to think of an appropriate answer that wouldn't sound disappointed or enthusiastic. One of them would surely tick him off and since I had no idea which one it was, I went with the most neutral one I could think of. - "Good."

I carefully controlled my expression when I turned to Kurama. "I give you the same choice, Ku-chan. Do you wish to remain sealed inside Naruto or be free?"

The fact that I was absolutely ignoring what the humans would think about eight freed Tailed Beasts, said something – screw humans. Really, it wasn't like I didn't care about them. But it was their fault they were too presumptuous to see that the Bijuus were originally peaceful and harmless creatures, who turned into killing machines only after the humans threatened their lives.

The big Fox Beast seemed to be pondering about something. _He's probably worrying about Naruto._ He would never admit it even if his life depended on it, but he liked the brave kid more than he considered acceptable.

The Beast's voice cut through my clouded mind and brought me to reality. "I wish to be free." _I expected as much_... Kurama ached for freedom more than any of them. Even more than Shukaku.

Not trusting my voice, I nodded my acknowledgement and looked at the others. It seemed they were troubled by something and I bet I knew exactly what it was.

"I shall give Kurama part of my chakra that will break the seal, but not harm his host in the process. Rest assured, Naruto is like my brother. I would never intentionally hurt him." I grinned at them like a kid, who was given her favourite candy. Really, I found it funny that hearts of the stubborn Bijuus have been so easily captured by the blond-haired ninja.

To my astonishment, they returned my grin. I had to shake my head to concentrate on my task.

"Now, Matabi, Isobu, Son Goku, Kokuo, Saiken and Chomei. When you were merged with the Ten-Tails, your life force was sucked in along with the life force of your hosts. After I free you guys, I will have enough chakra to separate your life forces from that of your jinchuurikis and guide it back inside their now dead bodies, regenerating and resurrecting them in the process. I give you this choice. Do you wish for me to revive them, or leave them dead?"

I thought about this a good deal of my way to the clearing and I came to the conclusion it was up to them to decide fates of their companions. After all, who was more worthy to judge whether the person deserved to live than the ones who witnessed every bit of their life and knew exactly what they felt?

I watched the Tailed-Beasts as they made their decision. It wasn't long before they came to a mutual agreement.

"We want you to resurrect them." Saiken spoke for the whole group and to make sure that indeed, all of them agreed, I studied their faces. They looked determined and stubborn. Ready to face every obstacle that would come before them.

"Fine." There was no need for grand words. What mattered were the actions.

I was about to proceed with channeling all of my chakra, when I remembered the One-Tailed Beast. I focused my attention at the last Bijuu I haven't spoken to yet – the Sand Beast.

"Shukaku. I didn't ask you whether you wanted Gaara to live, because he is alive." He looked at me, confusion evident in his stiffened posture. Normally, I would take my time explaining, but the catch was we had almost no time left. "You can keep the life force. Use it wisely." I added as an afterthought.

The fiery look I saw in Shukaku's eyes before I spoke to him, reminded me of yet another thing I forgot to mention.

"Before I start dividing my chakra, I want you to swear you won't kill any humans that pose no threat to you, when you are freed. If you refuse, I won't set you free. Instead, I will seal you back inside your host." As cruel as it sounded after I told them I could easily break the chains that bound them to humans, this was nothing compared to the other thing I could do – leave them inside the Ten-Tails and destroy them along with it.


	6. Fear

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! So, I know you guys probably expect this chappie to be a mindblowing continuation of the last one. I'll have to disappoint you. This whole chappie is a flashback on Shizuka's life with Minato. Though more like a life, it will be a brief close-in on their relationship. And of course, to keep you wondering, there is no mention of how it came to be that the Yondaime adopted little Uchiha girl :D You'll find out later... Much later... xD Enjoy!**  
**

**Chapter 6: Fear**

I was six then, but I still remember that day. That conversation.

Kushina was out shopping and Dad had a day off, so he stayed home to take care of me. We reached a silent agreement that I would train out in our back garden, while he would complete some of his paperwork.

I didn't like seeing him overworking himself and I told him so a few weeks earlier. His only response was a grin. He then patted my head and told me not to worry. I tried to ask him if I could help with something.

"It's parents job to help their children. Not the other way around." Minato looked a bit amused by my suggestion as he turned to go to Hokage tower.

That was the last time he seemed at least a bit refreshed.

My wandering thoughts made me miss my target third time in a row, when I decided it was pointless to try anymore. Throwing senbons wasn't my forte, after all.

I sat down near a big oak, pulling my legs to me and laying my forehead on them.

"_Can't concentrate?_" asked me a voice inside my head.

"_Ku-chan..."_

"_Don't worry, kiddo. Minato is a strong man, who knows his limitations. If he needs help, he will ask for it."_ Kurama's reassuring tone made me relax slightly.

"_I hate to see Dad so worn out."_ I admitted, squeezing my legs tightly to my body.

A little swirl of red chakra came from within me, caressing my cheek and wiping away a tear I unknowingly shed. _"He'll be fine._" echoed words of my best friend, inside my mind.

Not trusting my thoughts, I nodded.

There was nothing for me to do if I couldn't train, so I stood up and went back inside the house. I took two stairs at a time as I headed to Dad's office on the second floor.

Before entering, I peeked inside through the slightly ajar door, noticing that Minato was scribbling something down furiously. I took a deep breath and stepped in.

"Dad?" The blond man sitting behind a table turned to look at me and smiled. "What is it, Shizuka?" he asked sweetly.

I squirmed a bit under his intent gaze but answered. "I was wondering if I could go out..."

"Didn't you want to train?" I sighed and told him about my lack of concentration. "Ah. Then how about I go with you? Change of air might help both of us." I brightened up instantly and nodded my head with undeniable enthusiasm. I wasn't even hoping of taking him away from his work.

"_See? I told you he's okay."_ chuckled Kurama inside my head.

"_Thank you, Ku-chan!"_ He chuckled again and receded back into the corner of my mind.

"Shizuka?" I opened my eyes and found Minato kneeling before me in order to see me better. I looked at him confused as to what worried him.

"That chakra... Were you speaking to Kyuubi?"

"Hai..." I turned my eyes to look at the ground in shame.

Dad didn't like it when I had any contact with Kurama. The last time I got sucked inside the seal, he and Kushina panicked and then scolded me for not listening to them to stay away from Ku-chan.

"Please, Shizuka, try to understand... Kyuubi is dangerous. Don't trust him too much. He's a killer."

His words stung. I clasped my hands on my chest and regarded the man before me coldly, my voice and eyes void of any emotion. "So am I. That's why you shouldn't trust me either."

Minato, realizing his mistake, hugged me to him. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry if my words hurt you, but I'm worried about you. He isn't human. He thinks differently. If you promise me to remember that, I won't speak of this matter again." His voice voice was remorseful but with a steely edge to it.

"I promise."

The fact that Kurama wasn't human was obvious to me. That's why I liked him even more. Because he wasn't human, his heart was even softer and gentler. He was more understanding. And he never lied. In short, he had qualities I sought.

Dad nodded, his face looking grim. He knew I wouldn't keep away from Kyuubi no matter what he told me.

Yondaime stood up and took my little hand in his, leading me out of the house.

"So where do you want to go?" He asked, his tone cheerful once more.

I grinned at him. "I actually wanted to play with Kashi-niichan and the others... But now I feel more like taking a walk around the village."

"'Kashi-niichan'?" Dad looked sincerely confused as to the identity of the person I was talking about. I glared at him, irritated.

"Kakashi." I mumbled more than little disappointed that he couldn't guess who I meant.

"Oh. I didn't know you guys were so close..."

Unfortunately for Dad, I was much too smart for my age. Instead of innocently nodding and telling him that Kakashi was much like my elder brother, I lightly slapped his hand. "Dad! It's not like that!"

He sighed, disappointed at my reaction. "Really, you act all cute and then suddenly, you behave like a teenage brat. I don't think I'll ever understand women."

I was saddened by his statement. It was easy to conclude from his words that he found it hard to interact with me. _I bet he would be more happy with a normal six-year-old daughter._ I've been living with him for a year now and I often made him speechless.

"It's not women. It's just me.I'm broken." I whispered. At that, Minato stiffened on spot and peered down at my little depressed form.

"Come on. Don't say that. I really admire your intellect." He was patting my head lovingly and proudly at the same time. Tears welled up in my eyes and I chose not to suppress them.

"I scare you, don't I?" I looked him into eyes, daring him to lie to me. "Admit it. I scare you. After all, I have more blood on my hands than anyone you know..." I cringed at memories of all those shivering and pleading prisoners I killed and tortured.

This time, he didn't hug me and I was grateful for that. If he did, I would kick him and run away.

With a faraway look, he admitted my suspicions. "You do scare me. But more than you, I am scared of the man who made you this way. The man who taught you to spurn life, to abandon your heart and emotions. The man who didn't hesitate to make a child into a cold-blooded killer." With each word, he looked angrier, until his face was nothing but pure fury.

Somehow, his truthful words made me happy. I was glad he didn't for a moment forget what I was. Because that meant he knew and didn't care. He brought me into his family, teaching me importance of life and meaning of living and even made me his daughter.

I squeezed his hand and smiled at him - something I only learned to do recently. "Thank you, Dad."

He pulled me to him and kissed my forehead. "There is nothing to thank for, sweetie." His expression was solemn when he said it.

I shook my head in disagreement_. _"Thank you for caring about me." I could thank him for million other things, but this was the most important one.

After hearing my words, Minato took me by my armpits and raised me into air, only to position me on his shoulders. I fought for a balance and in the end I decided to hold onto his forehead.

"Good." he approved of my choice of safe hand position. "How about I let you see how fast exactly the 'Yellow Flash' is?"

I giggled at his more than a little stupid grin and cheered him on.

"Hold on tightly." I interwined my fingers on his forehead protector and tightened my grip.

I didn't pay any special attention to the speed we were travelling in. Nor did I care about the wind whipping my face as I sat on Minato's shoulders.

There was one single thought that occupied my mind at that time.

_I love you, Dad._


	7. Fury Awaiting

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hey guys! I'm alive! :D No, really. I almost died writing this chapter. Seriously, 9 pages in 6 hours is my record... :D Enjoy! Oh, and don't forget to review!**  
**

**Flashback**

"_Before I start dividing my chakra, I want you to swear you won't kill any humans that pose no threat to you, when you are freed. If you refuse, I won't set you free. Instead, I will seal you back inside your host."_

**Chapter 7: Fury Awaiting**

Shukaku sneered at me in response. "Promise? _I _have to promise _not to kill_ unless threatened?" He was glaring at me now, his eyes reflecting half amusement and half irritation.

"That statement is so fucked up, I can't believe _you _said it. You've gone demented, Shizuka. You weren't like this eleven years ago." His glare deepened and irritation won over amusement.

"Pfft. Demented, Shukaku?" I chuckled softly. "I actually might agree with you on one thing, though. Asking you not to kill is like telling Naruto not to eat ramen. But there is one point in which you're wrong."

His look was challenging me to continue.

_Oh, how I love challenges... _I thought with a smirk.

"I'm just as ruthless as I was all these years ago. And you've just crossed the line." Before his mind could process my words, I started making seals with my hands. The same second he realized he was in trouble, I finished and aimed my palm at his form. As my chakra hit him head-on, he poofed out of the room.

Uncomfortable silence sat upon us and I waited until someone broke it. Which, of course no one dared to, and I ended up taking that task upon myself.

"He's fine. Pissed off, tied on a leash, but fine. So do you promise?" My impatient tone seemed to snap them out of the daze.

"I really don't think that the promise will make any difference since the moment we get freed, the humans will attack us... So yeah, I do promise not to kill until they attack me." Sarcasm dripped off Chomei's words and I ignored it. In fact, I was glad for his evaluation of the promise. It seemed to help the others to make up their mind.

"I agree." Kurama pierced me with his intent gaze, as if he was trying to find the right words. Sighing, he turned away from me and continued in a rush. "It's not like I enjoy killing. The only reason I did so was to be free and go out to search for you." He then meaningfully glanced at me and grinned at the sight of my red-tinted cheeks.

"Geez, Ku-chan. You just ruined the serious mood." I started pouting and Chomei, Matatabi and Isobu laughed at my antics heartily. Before I could stop myself, I felt the corners of my mouth tugging upwards.

"I'm sorry to break it to you guys, but we don't have time." Gyuki scolded our little group, making all of us look down in shame.

I bit my tongue so hard it started bleeding as my resolve crystallized. I would save them. No matter what.

"Right." I nodded at the still frowning Gyuki in acknowledgement and turned to watch the Bijuus.

They returned my determined look even more fiercely than before. And just like that, I knew their decision. They've made their choice.

They wanted to fight. And fight they would.

Without saying anything, I started the operation. I summoned all of my chakra, the overwhelming energy straining my muscles, which made an involuntary groan of pain escape me. Mad at myself for it, I put more effort into the summoning. My chakra created a hauntingly beautiful midnight blue swirls around me, their cool edges caressing my skin and sending shivers down my spine. When it stabilized, I began.

"Kurama." I raised my hand to my childhood friend, energy pulsing expectantly around it. Softly, touching his dark orange fur coat, I gave him one last look full of love mixed with hope before I willed small portion of my energy enter his chakra system. As soon as it did, his body spasmed and he groaned much like I did, suddenly disappearing. He returned to the real world.

The same happened to Chomei, Saiken, Isobu and then Kokuo.

It was then that Gyuki interrupted me. "I do not know who you are, but somehow your chakra signature feels familiar... Instinct tells me to trust you."

I raised my brow at him, trying to figure out what he was trying to say.

"Once this fight is over, I want you to tell me why I feel like I can trust you with my life."

I frowned at him. "I don't particularly mind telling you, but I can't promise you that. I have no idea how this will turn out." I vaguely gestured around myself.

Hachibi merely stared at me for a few seconds and then left.

"So, Matatabi. Seems like you're the last." I usually wasn't one to try to strike a friendly conversation during an emergency, but I always had a soft spot for the Two-Tails.

"Hai."

That one word was laced with enough anxiety and uncertainty that I refrained from saying anything more. I got to her with one big leap and pushed into her the remaining part of chakra I've decided to divide between the Tailed Beasts.

She shuddered, blue flames on her body flaring up, and then she poofed away. That was my cue to leave the room and finish this in the real world.

Snapping from my meditation state was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I managed. I slowly opened my emerald eyes, only to see that everything around was blurry and in a different shades of blue.

My confused mind caught sounds of heavy fighting coming from the left and I focused my eyes to see what was happening.

Three figures surrounded one, effectively cornering him, but somehow, the person in middle escaped, lunging for one of the three. To the one with spiky, light hair and a very familiar chakra.

Intrigued by the fact I knew that person's chakra pattern, I scanned the other three. All of them were familiar, but when I concentrated on the one belonging to a masked man, feeling of anger overcame me.

_Why? Why am I so mad at this man?_

And then it all clicked into place. I slapped myself for taking so long to regain my memories and stood up. It was not unusual to lose sense of my current identity after looking through so many of my past lives, but this one was extreme.

I crossed my arms on my chest and waited, not tearing my gaze away from Naruto. Tobi appeared behind him, but the blonde sensed it and burned the man with the Kyuubi's highly condensed chakra.

Quick as a flash, Naruto turned to the Akatsuki member, who was backing away from the teenager, and ran forward with rasengan ready in his hand.

He made only three steps, when he doubled over, clutching his hands on his stomach. Gaara and the Tsuchikage immediately stepped before him, covering him with their bodies in case Tobi used this chance to take the Kyuubi vessel.

_It's starting. Kurama is breaking the seal. _

At the first sign of red chakra uncontrollably leaving Naruto's body, I sat down again and set into motion the second part of my plan.

I forcibly sent my chakra inside the Ten-Tails.

I was only halfway through the transmission when I started panting. My muscles burned from energy exhaustion and I couldn't catch my breath. Frustrated, I clenched my teeth together and sped up the process.

_Come on, come on! This is only the second third!_

Finished, at last, I opened my eyes to inspect the situation. The device under my feet was shaking, making cracking sounds. Satisfied with the result of my hard work, I searched the area for my companions.

Kakashi, along with Gai, were barely standing. Tsunade was doing her best to clear path for them, so they could get to safety, but Son Goku was in her way.

Tsuchikage was assisting Gaara in his fight against Tobi; Raikage and Mizukage combined their attacks to electrocute three Bijuus, without success.

The only one who seemed to not be at the end of his wits was Killer Bee.

He was running to Naruto, not caring that he left two kages to deal with now four Bijuus. The rapper lifted the unmoving blond up by his armpits and dragged him farther away from the fight that broke out between Tobi and Gaara. Carefully, he laid the blonde down on the ground, taking a few steps away from him as a red destructive chakra burst out of the cerulean-eyed boy's body.

Bee eyed him for a while and then he let his gaze rest on me, which caught me by surprise. It would be impossible unless he knew I was there, since my chakra was contained inside the Ten-Tails barrier, preventing anyone from noticing my presence.

The lightning ninja's expression was carefully hidden behind his sunglasses, but his posture said it all. _Hachibi told him._

It was as if the white-haired ninja captured me in one of his genjutsus. I simply couldn't look away. Somehow, I knew that if I did, he would disregard Gyuuki's words of reassurance and come at me.

After a few intense seconds, he visibly relaxed and turned his back to me. I sighed, knowing I passed his test. He didn't trust me yet but he didn't doubt me fully either. _It will have to do for now._

I took a deep breath and hauled myself into a standing position. Almost painfully, I focused a little bit of my chakra into my legs, and jumped straight up, as high as I could.

Air was whipping my clothes, knocking my breath away, biting my cheeks. Then I felt gravitation taking charge and I quickly made my chakra flow into my left leg and prepared myself for the impact.

I came down onto the Ten-Tails' head with a lightening speed. It would be impossible for human to survive a fall from such a height, but I would have to manage. My own chakra trapped inside the hardened stone was reacting to my presence, gathering right underneath my descending form.

I grinned insanely as I felt the stone giving out under the pressure of my leg combined with the pressure my chakra was causing from inside. The feeling of my destructive vibrations resonating through the sculpture was addictive and encouraging at the same time. It made me want to push much harder, to sink as deep inside the already cracked living sculpture as I could.

In the end, my more sensible side overpowered the impulse and got out of the collapsing structure.

And it was just about time. I barely escaped being hit on the head by debris.

I landed near Naruto's still form lying on the ground. Steady flow of Kyuubi's chakra was coming out of his stomach, forming vague outlines of soon-to-be Kurama's body.

I smiled at the sight, when Naruto whimpered in pain. My face fell instantly as I crouched down next to him, placing my hand on his forehead. Melancholy overtook me as my hand slipped down to caress his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Naruto. Please bear with it just a bit longer..." I was sure he could hear my words even in his half-unconscious state, because his body became less tense, despite the pain he was in.

My eyes hardened once more in purpose and determination as I nodded to Killer Bee and stood up to inspect the situation.

The four bijuus stopped attacking, instead spasming violently, shrieking and growling in attempt to get the chakra transmitters out of their bodies. It was an unbelievably violent process, but I didn't turn away. I knew exactly what they were feeling, having been once implanted with the black chakra pieces myself.

When the horrible sounds started dying down, I allowed my attention to focus on the two figures facing the writhing beasts. The Raikage and Mizukage were visibly exhausted, barely even standing. I had to admire their strong will to keep on fighting, but there was no one left for them to fight anymore. The Tailed Beasts were now on our side.

_Which reminds me..._ I shot a death glare in Tobi's direction and took off. _Only one enemy left._

Technically, there were hundred thousands more enemies, most of them undead, but that was beside the point. Take down the leader, his army will fall into chaos. The golden rule of war.

Moment of surprise was on my side, allowing me to hit the masked man in his abdomen, sending him flying a few meters. Astonished red-head went to stand by me, silently demanding why I was interrupting their fight.

"Gaara."

My voice was cold and stony. The voice of a leader giving out orders. "I want you to step back. In five seconds you won't be able to fight."

I smelled his confusion before the question even formed in his mind. Without waiting for him to ask, I answered. "I freed all the Bijuus. Even Shukaku. I made sure your chakra will melt with his, giving you control over him, but during that process, you won't be able to move." He sighed with frustration but didn't move.

"GO!"

And so, he left. I felt bad for yelling at him. More so, because I also pushed the responsibility for Shukaku on his shoulders...

My anger was boiling by the time Tobi heaved himself up from the ground. Tuschikage readily pinned his legs, while I growled and opened my hand, palm up. With just a thought from me, a delicate-looking baby blue hairpin appeared on it. It was the same one I was wearing during my talk with the Tailed Beasts. I grinned evilly, my growl turning into a sound suspiciously similar to purring.

When I squeezed the piece of jewellery tightly in my hand, it started glowing softly and changed its size. It became a blue, glass-like katana. I shifted it in my hand expertly, its coolness calming my inner turmoil a bit.

This katana was meant to restore the order. It was a symbol of justice for both Dragons and Wolves. And today, I would use it to take down the one who betrayed his own blood, his pack and his principles.

I felt my mind being taken over by the familiar emptiness I always receded into before the kill. The emptiness I lived in the first five years of my life as Shizuka.

Without further ado, I leapt into air, katana held tightly in my hand as I descended upon the trapped traitor.

He avoided the slash at the last second and I merely turned slightly and elegantly landed on my right hand. Immediately, I propelled my lower part of body up and kicked up my legs, my chakra charged feet connecting with his left side, breaking his ribs.

He started coughing blood and I retreated. He was trembling, anger and irritation oozing out of his body in waves of nauseatingly concentrated chakra.

It was clear he was going to break free of his confinement and lunge for me. I steadied my pose, awaiting the impact.

He came at me with an inhuman speed, undoubtedly using his Wolf legacy. One word from him was enough to form a water sphere around my body, trapping me inside. The clear liquid started choking me, trying to steal my last breath.

I smiled insanely at the familiar feel of pressure on my windpipe. _How long has it been since anyone was able to try to choke me to death?_ Yeah, Tsunade _was_ threatening me the same way before, but it had no killing intent behind it. _This_ was meant to murder painfully.

I didn't bother to try and grab the water whip wrung tightly around my neck. I simply called on my chakra, creating a whirlwind big enough to not only engulf me but Tobi, too.

The harsh wind froze the water and then shattered it. My skin was cold, but I didn't pay any attention to it. I collected the wind into a tighter formation and sent it to my opponent's previous location. Encouraging sounds of ripping fabric and flesh told me the jutsu found its target. Satisfied, I ended the jutsu.

The second the crazy gusts of air disappeared, a kunai popped out of nowhere, only 6 inches from my face. My instinct took over as I gracefully bent backwards, my spine in a very unusual angle. My back was painfully strained, my katana pinned down to the ground by my own hand in attempt to stay in the impractical position only the most agile should be allowed to do.

Nevertheless, I managed to avoid the kunai altogether.

In an instant, the choice whether to try and stand up on my hands or simply do a backward somersault was made for me, when Tobi appeared at my side, his hand gripping another kunai meant to pierce my heart.

I quickly straightened my arms above my head, which sent me falling to the ground roughly. I had time to see my attacker's confusion as I rolled farther away from him. He reacted rather quickly himself, when he sent fire balls my way.

I didn't have time to even stand up, not to mention dodge, so the only option left was to counter the fire jutsu with one of my own. I summoned a water wall before me, focusing my attention on the Akatsuki member. He didn't look fazed the least bit as his jutsu turned into nothing but a steam.

I smirked. _That can change easily._

Taking a deep breath, I willed the water wall to create two separate water geysers, both headed for the masked man's vital organs.

When he realized that the seemingly pathetic attack was highly lethal, he jumped into air, landing 40 feet from the spot his body would lay now were it not for his Sharingan.

The ground where he stood was not only soaked, but pulsed with electricity and the centre was impaled with stakes made of ice.

The man's eyes widened when saw the destruction.

I thought he would get angrier and attack, use that damn implanted Rinnegan of his, but he was just standing there silently, staring at me.

Carefully, I narrowed my eyes at the cloaked man before me. After a second of considering the best course of action, I decided to speak to him.

"What?" Well, that one didn't come out right as I meant it to, but whatever.

Tobi didn't chuckle as I expected him to, which only made me more alert. He was either too pissed off to hide behind his carefree mask or he finally recognized me as a worthy opponent. But something was off about the whole situation. I got impression that none of my theories were quite right. _Not good._

"Woman." His deep and somehow melodic voice made the word sound vulgar, like some kind of curse. "I know not who you are or how you managed to destroy my masterpiece, but know that you shall pay for this."

I steadied my pose, ready for the impact I was sure would be coming, but he didn't move.

_He can't be...! _

My fear was confirmed when Tobi moved to flee.

Without thinking, I willed the katana in my hand change its form. In no time, four senbons appeared in its place. Quickly, I took aim and threw them at the Akatsuki member before me, praying that one of them at least scratches him.

_One scratch. That's all I need. One measly little scratch._

My body tense in anticipation, I watched as the crystal needles started closing in on him. I didn't dare to so much as blink.

The first needle flew past him, missing his shoulder by inches.

_Dammit! That's why I hate senbons!_

The second, aimed at his neck, got pathetically stuck into the high collar of his cloak.

I paled at the sight. It meant that I used too little strength while throwing it.

Tobi, slowly recovering from the shock of seeing the katana turn into entirely different weapon, reacted in time and blocked the third needle with his own kunai.

_One left..._

The last senbon glinted in the sun, as if it was trying to tell me not to worry. I didn't relax. I did quite the opposite – my breath hitched, my body tensed and I bit my lip.

The moment I tasted the blood my mouth, Tobi caught the last senbon between his two fingers.

My face turned into stone, not giving away any emotion, much like the orange mask my opponent was wearing.

"Pathetic." he murmured, lowering his hand holding the needle.

I watched the baby blue weapon intently, not wanting to lose sight of it for any amount of time. I secretly hoped he would not find this behaviour odd.

Tobi's gloved hand was right before his chest, when I made my move. I used the spiritual connection I shared with the weapon he was holding, changing it back into its original shape – the katana.

Suddenly, the world went quiet. I always thought that line was corny when I read it in a book, but it fit the situation perfectly. The only difference was that the silence was not heavy at all. It was light and peaceful... No, it wasn't a silence after all. There were two overlapping sounds. Sound of a dripping liquid and shaking sobs.

The dripping liquid being Tobi's blood, rapidly leaving his body, painting the ground underneath him ruby red and the sobs being my reaction to the sight.

I didn't know why I was crying. It's not like I didn't want him to die. I just... I guess I wanted to kill him in the heat of the fight, not when he was retreating and the opportunity appeared out of nowhere. The easy win made me feel guilty. As if I had stabbed him from the back.

Originally, I wasn't planning on using that senbon as a deadly weapon, it was only supposed to graze his skin, letting my chakra enter his system. Then I would be able to control his body and prevent him from leaving this clearing. I wanted to fight with him more, not to kill him right away.

_What am I doing? Making excuses..._ I was disgusted with myself. The truth was he was dying and that's exactly the way I wanted it to be. Nothing else would suffice. Nothing else would put him and this world in at least a temporary state of peace.

With that realization, all the other sounds and movements returned.

Tsuchikage was making his way towards the dying criminal, intent on finishing what I started.

I was there in a flash, stopping his advance. "I still have something I need him to hear." The old ninja glared at me.

"I suppose you have the right. But I will be there to listen." He wasn't letting me know, he was warning me not to do something stupid. I nodded half-heartedly and hurried to my victim.

I knelt down, not caring that my knees were getting drenched in blood and lifted his back off the ground, my hand behind his neck for support.

"Cousin." That one word was no more than a whisper, but he caught it. Unfortunately, so did the earth ninja standing behind me. "What?!" "Just shut up." All that crap about respect to seniors and my superiors ran through my mind, but I dismissed it.

My attention was abruptly caught by the man in my arms. "Shizuka?" His voice was raspy and painfully uncertain.

"Yeah. It's me." I pulled a face at the sense of deja vu, which made the man going by 'Tobi' cough-laugh. I sighed. This was so not the way this conversation was supposed to go.

I waited a heartbeat and then went right down to the business. "Obito Uchiha."

He stiffened at the use of his real name. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't the only one. I heard a few gasps from my left and like I have done a lot recently, I ignored them.

"I deem you a traitor to your blood. From this moment on, all your bonds with the Uchiha clan, Wolves of Olden and the Sky Race are cut. You are cursed to wander in this world as a human until the ends of time. May the gods forgive what we cannot."

With that spoken, I took off his mask and stared into his eyes before putting my thumb on his forehead. Through the physical contact, I transferred the curse into his body, imprinting it into his soul. Then I silently watched as the two orbs started to water and tears slid down his scarred cheeks.

I couldn't even fathom the pain he was feeling upon hearing my proclamation and feeling a part of his soul being sealed. I was not only disowning him, I was cutting all ties his soul had with two of the greatest warrior communities. He would never be reborn as one of us. He would never again howl with us at the moon, nor would he soar the skies along side us.

"You mean it, don't you?" He already knew the answer. I wouldn't have put the curse on him if I did not.

"Why? What have I done? All I wanted was to bring peace, to stop this killing..."

"By taking control of everyone's minds, Obito? Don't you think that if that was the ultimate answer, I would have done it long ago? Not to mention the little fact you would never be able to control the Ten-Tails."

He resembled a lost child and I had to fight my urge to tell him everything was okay. Because it really wasn't.

Then I felt his breath becoming even quicker and more ragged. _His time is near._

"Obito. I want you to know that despite your mistaken actions and beliefs, I do not regret saving your life that time in the forest. You were a good a friend and a caring cousin, thank you. It was an honour to meet you. May your soul learn from this and return to us wiser."

He gave me one last look full of sorrow when his eyes dimmed, his breath stopping. I smiled solemnly to myself as I felt his soul move on. _Until the next time, my friend._

Tiredly, I laid him down as gently as I could, took my katana out of his body and walked away.


	8. The Sly One

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! ... Why do I even bother writing this note? It's not like this chappie needs a commentary... Just leave a review... Pretty please? *puppy eyes***  
**

**Chapter 8: The Sly One**

I wiped the blood off my sword into my pants and transformed the katana into a simple bracelet. I put it on and blocked out the outside world, looking far away into the sky.

_Such a nice day..._

That was the last thing I thought of before my mind shut itself. I was empty, my body hollow, my heart numb.

I don't know how long I was staring into distance, but it must've been quite a long time, because Killer Bee was beside me and I noticed his mouth was opening, as if he was telling me something. From his expression it was easy to conclude he's been speaking for a while.

I blinked a few times and actually tried to pay attention to what he was saying.

"... is waking up. I have no idea what he will do once he finds out the Kyuubi is free. Also, the Kazekage is unconscious, this place is full of Bijuus and the other kages are seriously freaking out."

I used some of the colourful words I heard Tsunade spouting when drunk, and ran to Gaara.

He was not supposed to get knocked out by forming a bond with Shukaku. Already in a medic-nin mode, I checked his vital functions, chakra flow and healed the more serious of his injuries. When I ended with the procedures, the only thing wrong with him was a slight chakra exhaustion and a few bruises he got from Obito.

I bit the inside of my cheek as I tried to think of a reason for his sudden collapse. I scanned his face carefully and when I saw there were no signs of pain etched on it, I turned to our surroundings. He hadn't been poisoned, that was for sure. And he hadn't been knocked out by enemy. That left the possibility of being knocked out by an ally, and the only one of our company who would love to do so is Shukaku. My eyes widened as I scrambled back to Gaara.

Shukaku wasn't here, which meant he was inside the read-head's body. _That's just so great._ I cringed. _I screwed up. _

My plan was to seal most of the Ichibi's power into the Kazekage, leaving Shukaku to exist in real world in his minimal form, a raccoon. Gaara then would be able to release his power if needed, and of course, would have complete control over it.

But Shukaku found a leeway in my transferring jutsu and let himself be transferred completely, without my knowledge.

I snarled at the red-head before me, took his wrist and cut it. I lowered my lips to the wound and licked it. When I swallowed the first few drops, my hesitation disappeared and I began drinking, carefully counting how much blood I've already taken. When I reached the regular 1 pint, I healed the wound and wiped my mouth.

Letting go of his wrist, I started forming hand signs. With the 38th sign, my hands started emitting a blindingly white light that soon turned crimson as the Gaara's blood I consumed traveled from my stomach into my veins and then the chakra points on my fingertips.

I opened my palms and with all the power I could muster in my weakened state, I pushed them inside Gaara's chest. My hands passed through his skin easily, melting into his physical form.

The ex-jinchuuriki's body was convulsing because of my probing, but I couldn't stop. I was searching for Shukaku. His personality nor power was sealed and he was attempting to take control of the Kazekage's body, hence the unconscious state. Gaara was battling the blood-thirsty beast on his own, and was losing rapidly. He was not adept in a mental battle, having rediscovered emotions only recently.

I was counting on the fact Shukaku was so distracted by the battle, his chakra was not masked as Gaara's. I gently but abruptly invaded my little adoptive bro's chakra system, looking for the familiar pattern of acid-like energy the beast was emitting. I found what I was looking for quite soon, majority of it being concentrated around the red-head's heart and brain.

I grasped its edges tightly and pulled. Not having expected that, Shukaku couldn't defy me and went with me (un)willingly.

Milliseconds later, I was back in my body, my hands in my lap, burned by the stupid Ichibi's chakra. I glared at the little raccoon perched on its side, on my left.

"Fuck you, Shizuka! Can't you just crawl back under the stone like you did eleven years ago?! You totally ruined my chance to get my own human body!"

I rolled my eyes at his stupidity. "Really, Shukaku. Gaara is my _brother_. Like I would let you have his body..."

The animal's eyes narrowed as he jumped at me, undoubtedly trying to bite me. He was in air when a ball of sand sent him flying sideways.

"Hey, Gaara." The once-again-partial-tanuki-vessel eyed me for a while before speaking. "You told me I would be unable to move, not dying." I let out kind of a nervous laugh at that. Gaara's new-found respect for life was nothing to mess with, and me kind of being responsible for his recent near-death experience visibly struck a chord in him.

"Sorry. That tanuki is a sly one. He actually managed to find a weakness in my jutsu." Satisfied with my answer, he pulled himself up, looking around.

"I think you should get going." I looked at him confused and then followed his line of vision.

All of the Tailed Beasts (except, of course, Shukaku) were in their full forms. There was actually a moment I felt smug about that, when I remembered I wasn't the only one witnessing the sight.

My ninja companions were petrified. _...So that's what Bee meant by 'seriously freaked out kages'..._


	9. Wild Blood

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! ... Wow. Just wow. How did I even manage to write two chapters in one day? O.o Mysterious... Okay, here's another flashback to Shizuka's life with Yondaime Hokage :) Revieeeew~**  
**

**Chapter 9: Wild Blood**

Training grounds number 63 was the one Dad used to train his team. It was the one that had a water source, making it easier for Rin to use her jutsus.

Rin was one of the rare Uchiha members able to use other than fire elemental techniques.

Dad used to say that it wasn't that much of a blessing and I had to agree with him.

Elders of her clan expected too much from her, pushing her to her limits. That's why she would often appear weak, having to be protected all the time. She trained too hard, her body not able to keep up the pace and slowly deteriorating.

What's more, she wasn't the only one suffering from the situation. It weighed heavily on Obito, too. As her brother, he wanted to protect her and when he could not do so, he felt hopeless and depressed.

The only thing that kept both of them going forward was Kakashi. His encouraging words and carefree attitude often made them forget who they were.

* * *

That day was one of the precious ones, as Rin was cheerful and rested.

"Oh? I see you're feeling well today, Rin." Dad's voice startled the Uchiha girl and she jumped a little. But as is the Uchiha clan trait, she managed not to show the unwanted emotion on her face.

"Hai, sensei." She bowed a little and gave us a brilliant smile. I chuckled and let go of Dad's hand to run to the tree where she, and her brother, were standing.

I skipped merrily along the way, not caring that I was actually acting according to my age.

"Obito-niisan, Rin-neechan!" My voice was so loud that some of the birds resting on the tree's branches flew away, all to get out of my vicinity.

"Ah, Shizu-chan. Are you going to train with us?" I beamed at the girl and shook my head.

"Dad said he wanted to train team formations. I would only get in the way..." I tried to hide my disappointment, but it didn't escape Obito's sharp eye. "Then, how about, when we finish, I'll spare with you?"

I knew my eyes were sparkling with excitement and I didn't try to hide it at all. I jumped, crushing Obito's torso in a big bear hug. "Thank you, Obito-niisan!"

"Are you sure about this, Obito?" Dad's voice was carefully guarded when he addressed the genin. "You might not get as lucky as the last time..."

"Don't worry, Minato-sensei. I learned some new jutsus. Surely, this time I'll win." Dad shook his head in defeat as he turned to see the village.

"Where is Kakashi?"

Rin grinned mischievously before answering. "Late, as always."

I let go of the Uchiha boy so that I could turn to Dad. Since he was standing so close, I pulled on the sleeve of his white jacket to get his attention. "Should I go get him?"

He looked thoughtful for a while, but then he nodded. "Okay, but be careful."

"I will!" I said as I pushed chakra into my feet and stormed out of the training ground. Stealthily, I jumped, landing on the other side of the river. Adrenaline rushing through my veins, I sped up even more, not caring there was a cliff right before me.

I breathed out in preparation for my next action. I tensed my muscles and used all the strength in my legs to bounce off the edge of the cliff.

I laughed heartily while the wind was whipping my face and messing up my hair. With a slight use of my wind jutsu, I steered my body to the left so that I could descend on the ground instead of a roof of some residential building.

The bulk in the tin rooftop my harsh descent would leave behind would not go unnoticed and then I would be scolded by Dad. And I wasn't about to explain why I jumped off the cliff instead of using the normal route.

Again, I used my wind technique to summon an air cushion that would soften my landing. The wind I summoned lovingly caressed my cheek as it set me down without a sound and then dispersed.

That was when I started planning my course of action.

I closed my eyes in concentration. Sweat beads appeared on my forehead as I tried to track down Kakashi's chakra signature. I found an old trail and followed it to a weapon store. From there, it led to bakery, then the academy and training ground number 34. The trail became very vague there, because he's been there for a long time.

Sighing, I ran to that place, only to find it empty. I was secretly hoping he would be there so I was a bit disappointed to see it closed. I walked into the centre of the heavily damaged piece of land and concentrated again. Since this training ground was frequently used, there were many chakra signatures and it took me longer than normal to find the one I was looking for.

When I finally found it, I followed it into the Konoha Library, then his apartment and lastly, a dango shop. That's where the trail ended and where the biggest concentration of his chakra pattern was located, meaning he was still there.

"Kashi-niichan!" I practically screeched when I got to the dango shop. Thankfully, he was still there, sitting right outside.

The silver-haired boy seemed sincerely surprised to see me. "Shizu? What's wrong?"

I glared at him, hands at my hips. "The training has already started! Why are you not there?!"

"What?! How? The last time I checked, I still had an hour..." he glanced inside the shop, looking at the watch that was located on the opposite side of the doors that led inside.

One of his dangos slid off the stick and fell onto the ground, when he saw what time it was. Abruptly, he stood up, stuffing the remaining dangos into his mouth as he rolled up his mask and motioned for me to come with him. I rolled my eyes at him and took the lead.

* * *

The next three hours, I watched bored at Dad's team practising the basic four-man formations. The only reason I hadn't bolted out into the forest to train by myself was that Dad told me to stay there with them.

"I'm soo bored_."_ I informed my best friend, who chuckled at my obvious state of mind.

"_What do you want me to do?"_

I thought about and came up with nothing. "I don't know. What _can_ you do?"

There came a silence, telling me that Ku-chan also didn't know.

"_How about we play some word game?"_

I groaned. Not the word games again. "Can't you think of something else?"

_"... "_

"You're useless..." It was time for Ku-chan to groan. He didn't have to be told that he was useless, he knew it.

"_Then how about I use my chakra to trip Minato?"_

My eyes narrowed in fury and despite the regret I already felt coming from Kurama, I voiced my anger out loud. "Don't you dare hurt Dad!"

I calmed down a little and continued in a much softer tone. "Besides, it wouldn't be funny and in the end, I would get scolded by Dad for playing with you."

"_You're not playing with me, technically. We're not even in the same part of town."_

"I know, I know... But I'm not about to explain that to Dad."

Now it was Kurama's turn to sigh. _"You know... It's been so long since I last saw you. I miss the times you would come here and play with me... Damn, I even miss you tugging at my tails!"_

"Yeah, I do too. It was so much fun... If only Dad understood..." Ku-chan snorted at that.

"_I'm sorry to tell you he never will. He doesn't trust me one bit. Not that I gave him a reason to... And going rogue and killing hundreds of villagers certainly didn't help any."_

"Don't worry, Ku-chan. I like you just fine." I smiled when I heard him laugh merrily at my words.

"_Yeah, and I like you, kiddo. There just isn't any other kid half as courageous and insane as you."_

I smirked and rewarded him with my own evaluation of his persona. "And there isn't any other Nine-Tailed Fox as caring and messed up as you."

"_That's one of the downsides to being unique."_

"Oh? There are others?"

"_Of course! Like being too big to have your own house. Or bed, for that matter."_

I tried to imagine Ku-chan sleeping in a bed, safely tucked underneath a blanket with a bunny pattern. It was such a ridiculous image, I couldn't stop myself from laughing out loud. Every time I remembered it, I laughed harder, until I was rolling on a ground, trying to catch my breath.

That was when Dad came running to me, worried about my well-being. I turned to him, trying to tell him I was okay, but when I saw his face, an image of him telling a bedtime stories to Ku-chan flashed through my mind and I started laughing again.

"_**Him**, telling stories to **me**? Thanks, but no thanks. I bet they would be full of yellow flashes and temperamental tomatoes."_

I bit my tongue, trying very hard to keep in a new round of laughing, all while sitting up.

I took a few cleansing breaths and finally spoke. "I'm sorry, Dad. I didn't mean to interrupt your training session..."

He eyed me suspiciously knowing fully well that I avoided the subject of my crazy laughing fit on purpose.

"We were almost finished, anyway." I nodded and looked at Obito hopefully. He seemed a bit tired and I felt bad for that. I was sure he would be willing to spar with me even now, but it wouldn't be fair. After all, if I can beat him at his best, why shouldn;t I be able to best him when he's tired?

Then I thought of something even better. "Dad, will you spar with me?"

He seemed shocked that I asked him and for a while, he was absolutely speechless.

"Shizuka..."

I pouted already, knowing what would come next. 'I don't want to risk you getting hurt' was the most probable continuation.

"Fine, I will." he bit out, to my astonishment.

"Really?"

"Yes."

I grinned like I had never before, and practically flew to the centre of the training ground. I told the three genins standing there to move and upon seeing my anxiousness and determination, they did like they were told. Though not without some chuckling and ruffling of my hair.

Dad joined me in a second, mirroring my battle-ready position.

I, of course, had to attack first.

Creating ice needles, I sent them his way, knowing fully well he would dodge with ease, using his extraordinary speed.

Then I concentrated on his chakra, feeling it gather to my right. I whipped around and instead of attacking the place I felt his chakra in, I focused on place my unprotected back was facing a second ago. "Fuuton: Kaze no Yaiba." I sent the wind blades in that direction.

And I was a spot-on. Minato appeared there only milliseconds before my jutsu reached his location.

The time slowed down as I watched my fuuton jutsu closing in on him. My mind was in overload with worry.

_What if he doesn't dodge in time?_ I wanted to know whether he could dodge that. No, I desperately needed to know it.

And suddenly, I knew. It came to me just like that. He wouldn't dodge the deadly jutsu, because it was only a clone. Now that I knew in fact that Dad was safe, I was set on finding him.

However, before I could seriously start trying to determine his whereabouts, instinct told me I was in danger, so I used a replacement and hid in the tree line by the edge of the clearing.

A whirlwind gathered around the replacement, squeezing it in its grip. I clenched my teeth, looking for any clue as to where the attack came from. I didn't find it, but an idea struck me.

I formed the all-too-familiar hand signs and bit my wrist, letting the blood flow freely. Then I formed three, more complex hand signs. "_Secret technique: Bleeding atmosphere." _I thought, not daring to even whisper in case my opponent could pick up the sound.

My blood burst from the self-inflicted wound, creating a lightly pink mist that slowly dissipated untile there was nothing lef of it, in order to stay undetected.

I watched as it spread invisibly thorough the clearing. Since it was reacting to anything with chakra, it stuck lightly to a few birds and one rabbit, which I ignored. Then it found three genins observing the fight, and lastly, the person I was looking for.

I smirked, but didn't act upon my impulse to attack right away. I decided to stay hidden a bit longer and make sure he hadn't noticed my jutsu.

When he found out he was gripping only a piece of wood, he dispersed the winds, undoubtedly searching for me.

_If I go out now, I lose instantly... On the other hand, if I wait any longer, he'll find me._

I was stuck between a rock and a hard place because of my inability to attack him when I had the perfect chance. Now I would have to think of some kind of a half-baked plan.

I was near enough to the river to use a decent water jutsu. _If I have to lose, then I'll lose with a bang._

"Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu!" The river water bent to my will, creating a water dragon around me, and then it attacked Dad's hiding place.

I didn't have to watch to know he simply ran out of there. Not one drop reached him, I noted, as he appeared behind me, kunai pressed against my neck.

Dad withdrew the weapon when he saw my shoulders slump in defeat.

"End of training." With that said, his grip on my shoulder relaxed and I spun around to ask him how well I fared. The words, however didn't come out of my mouth when Dad's face turned into a mask of shock upon seeing me.

I furrowed my brows at him. "What?"

His mouth opened as if he was about to say something, and then it closed. I let my face show irritation, but I felt scared. _What was so horrible about me to make Dad this out of it?_

Intent on finding the answer, I jumped off the tree and ran for the little group sitting by the trunk of the oldest tree in this training ground.

As soon as I reached them, I began speaking. "Guys, Dad's acting strange..." When they looked at me, their expressions were the same as the one Dad was wearing.

Kakashi gasped and then gulped, his eyes wide, and becoming even wider.

Rin stared at me at first, but then she looked down into her lap.

Bracing myself, I turned to Obito. He had enough time to recollect himself and now he looked only mildly shocked, his lips in a grim line, his eyes full of disbelief.

He spoke one single word, but it expressed so much, it could have been a whole sentence.

"_Shit._"

That was the day my sharingan activated for the first time.


	10. Honour the Word

**Author's Note: **Oh. My. Charon. Am I on drugs or something? For me to update so frequently AND to write three chapters in about 24 hours seems like a miracle...**  
**

**Chapter 10: Honour the Word**

"For the hundredth time, Tsunade-sama. Could you please stop pointing your finger at them?"

The blonde Sannin turned to me, incomprehension in her eyes, her mouth opening and closing without making a sound.

"Dammit! Pull yourself together! What did you expect I would do, when I said I would take care of the Ten-Tails?!"

Finally, she lowered her hand and whipped around to glare at me."I certainly didn't think you would free eight of the most dangerous creatures in this world!"

"Yeah, yeah... As if the humans are any less dangerous... If you haven't noticed, Obito, _a human_, started all of this." I tried to make my point by putting more stress on that word than necessary, but it only caused the dangerous glint in my shishou's eyes to turn into a flame.

"That's not what I meant, Sak- Shizuka, and you know it. How could you free them after all the lives that were wasted in order to seal their powers?!"

I started massaging my temples to try and ease the already coming headache. _"Need help?" _asked telepathically Ku-chan, who was standing behind me during the whole conversation.

I shook my head and told him to back down. If he as much as spoke, the kages would not stay calm.

Not that they were calm now... Tsuchikage looked grim, his expression unreadable. Mizukage was shivering, biting her lip as she eyed Matatabi, and Raikage was ready to explode anytime.

"Now, _Hokage-sama_. Look at them closely." I gestured to the Tailed-Beasts who were mildly amused at my attempts to calm down the hysterical blonde.

"They've been standing there, without moving, the whole time you've been bitching about their presence. They hadn't ran off, nor did they attack anyone. How do you explain that, if they are truly the 'blood-thirsty demons' you claim them to be?"

She crossed her arms on her chest, waiting for me to continue. _Of course she doesn't have an answer._

"I made them promise me they won't hurt anyone until they themselves are attacked. And their pride won't let them break it."

"... Are you sure you're Shizuka? Not even Sakura is naïve enough to believe that."

"Fuck it, Tsunade! Just believe me! Or you can just go and use that little measly life force of yours to try to seal one of them. Not that you'll succeed."

My headache was quickly becoming a throbbing pain I couldn't seem to ignore. I fell to my knees, clutching my head and clenching my teeth.

Thanks to the movement of shadows, I knew someone was standing before me, but I didn't care.

The pain was unbearable. It was as if my skull was about to explode from inside and the only thing I could do was to hold it together with my hands. I dug my nails deep into my scalp, feeling them penetrating my skin.

Suddenly, the pounding got faster and I shrieked, my body trashing.

The person before me put their hands on my shoulders, pinning me down do the ground, back down, but I couldn't stop my body from moving on its own. I tried to get out of the unknown person's grip and I broke my collarbone in process. I hissed in pain and continued the crazy ministrations.

And then came the soothing sensation. A cool wave spread through my body, starting from my shoulders, until it reached every corner of my physical shell. I gasped when it got to my head. It felt as if some tight knots in my brain came loose under its touch, easing the pounding until it was completely gone.

Relaxed, I let the unconsciousness claim me.

* * *

"What did you do to her?" Snarled the angered Hokage at the Kyuubi, who was sitting by Shizuka's limp body, flitting the tails of his human-sized form in nervous manner.

"I lent her some of my chakra. She was going through seizure caused by chakra exhaustion."

"Seizure caused by chakra exhaustion? I never heard of that." The blonde medic-nin narrowed her eyes at the Tailed Beast before her, coming closer to her student to check her condition.

"Yeah, I also haven't. Before I met Shizuka, that is."

"So this is not unusual for her?"

Kurama nodded, looking down at the kunoichi in question. He moved few of pink tresses from her face and bent down to nuzzle her cheek.

Hokage followed the act closely and sighed. "So Minato was right about you."

Confused, Kurama turned his crimson eyes to her.

"I mean, about your relationship..."

Curious Tsuchikage interrupted them, trying to join in on the conversation. "What do you mean by 'relationship'?"

"We're friends." said the orange fox loud enough for everyone present to hear him. He was not ashamed to admit he cared about the girl.

An idea struck the old kage as he turned to other Bijuus. "Can you say the same?"

Silence followed while the Tailed Beasts tried to decide what to say.

The one to break it was, surprisingly, Shukaku. "Hell no. She's pain in the ass, bossy and even more impulsive than I am." He thought for a second and added, "She's interesting, though. I'd hate to lose someone who can stand up to me and look me in the eye without fear."

"She's just as weird as the blonde over there," confirmed Son Goku pointing to Naruto.

"She seems nice," said Matatabi in an almost undecipherable whisper.

"She's fun," grinned Chomei, remembering her pouting.

"So, yeah, I guess we're friends," evaluated Kokuo. "Why are you asking?"

"Then, you will keep the word you gave her?"

"Of course," answered a chorus of voices.

Satisfied Tsuchikage looked back at the crouching Sannin, amused glint in his eyes. "Tsunade-sama. I think you should apologize to the girl for being so harsh with her. She managed to do something no one has been able to since the Sage of the Six Paths passed away."

"And that is?"

"She tamed the Beasts."


	11. Confusion

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! Hi guys! There's one thing bothering me... I DID say this story was just a side story, right? So why am I updating this story every freaking day, while my main story hasn't been updated for almost two weeks?! I'm seriously freaked out... Revieeeeew~ :'(**  
**

**Chapter 11: Confusion**

Waking up was more than little unpleasant. I felt like I was partying the whole night and drank at least three bottles of sake while I was at it.

I groaned when I opened my eyes, only to be blinded by the annoying light of the setting sun. A chuckle from my left made me attempt the stupid action again. This time I squinted instead of instantly blocking out the light by closing my eyelids.

"Ku-chan?"

Really, he was the first person I could think of, but it could also be the Raikage for all I could see.

"Yeah."

I tried to sit up, only to feel even more drowsy and collapse back. "Damn." I grumbled not so happy with my condition.

"Relax, it'll go away soon."

"Right. If you consider three hours 'soon'."

This time a cacophony of chuckles erupted around me, making me wonder when I had become an entertainer and whether there was anything left of my dignity.

"Do you think you could, you know, share some chakra with me? I really don't enjoy not being able to see clearly..."

"You sure you want that? You know the consequences." He trailed off, his voice careful, but serious.

"Oh, shut up. I know you already gave me some. It's too late to think about consequences now."

Kurama sighed in defeat and fulfilled my request. Thirty seconds later, I was even able to stand straight on my own.

"Better." I breathed out, stretching my sore muscles.

_Oh, how I hate those seizures..._ It's not often that I drain my chakra completely, but when I do, it's horrific.

I grinned at the sight before me. "I see you haven't killed each other while I was out of it." Most of them smirked, some smiled sheepishly and the others, like Gaara and Raikage, kept their expressions blank.

After a while, Kokuo stepped closer to me, drawing my attention. "We kind of reached an agreement."

I raised an eyebrow at that, but didn't comment. As much as I hated it, I was willing not to push the matter if they didn't want to tell me more about that 'agreement' of theirs.

And I was right. They didn't. All I knew was that there was a truce between humans and the Bijuus.

We stood there for a few moments, trying to figure out what to do now. Our main enemy was dead, our free wills secured. But that didn't mean the war was over. Oh, no. The war has just started. Kabuto still had his army of undead and Zetsu's clones were on rampage. And the only way to stop them would be to beat every single one of them.

I groaned at the amount of work still waiting for me. _Perhaps I should deploy Loren's and Hana's units as well._

I was seriously contemplating sending out the dispatch orders, when Kurama tensed and growled right beside me.

_I must be in a worse condition than I thought. _There was just no way I wouldn't have sensed the approaching chakra signature if I was okay.

Unblinkingly, I kept my gaze locked on the spot Ku-chan turned to.

That's when the painfully familiar black cloak with red clouds came into view. A smile spread on my face uncontrollably as I relaxed, telling the aggravated fox to let the person come closer. He obliged, though not without bickering and even more cursing when he was told to inform the others of our _guest_. _More like a partner in crime, _I thought bitterly.

"I see you sensed my return." I tried to subdue my smile a bit, but it seemed to have a life of its own.

"Who didn't?" My brow twitched at the sarcasm and the smirk on his face.

"Nevertheless, I'm happy you decided to come and see me."

Itachi nodded and went right down to business.

"Kabuto's dead, but as you can see, the Impure Resurrection is still in effect."

I sighed. "Obviously..."

_Now what? _I kind of didn't feel like telling him _I _was the one to create the accursed jutsu and that I knew it wouldn't end with just it's caster's death.

It would be rude of me to not say anything more, so I added a reassurance. "I'll take care of it. I'm just unable to do so at the moment..."

He narrowed his eyes at me, activating his sharingan. "Your chakra reserves are depleted." he stated simply and let his eyes fade to their original onyx colour.

"I've been busy." I tried hard not to glance at the direction in which my former enemy's body lay, but it didn't seem to make difference as Itachi's gaze strayed to that exact place.

"Hn." His answer was less than satisfying, but I managed to catch the proud glint in his eyes, making it the best he could say to me. He then turned to stare at the sky with a thoughtful look plastered on his face.

"Itachi."

As soon as he focused back in me, I threw my hands around him and almost made the elder of the Uchiha brothers fall over when I hugged him.

Reluctantly, he put his arms around me and lightly returned my gesture. It was bit unexpected so I relished in the feel of it for a few seconds, trying to block out the little fact he was already dead and this was probably the last time I would see him.

Then I pulled back from him, looked him in the eyes and smiled sweetly.

My palm connected with his cheek pretty hard.

"That's for not relying on me more." I hissed with all the venom I could muster, meaning almost none. Let's face it, he was my little brother. How could I hate him?

His simple 'Hn' made me bite my tongue and wait for him to speak, silently cursing the stupid Uchiha trait. Really, I was also an Uchiha and I had no need to use that annoying sound quite as often as my other clansmen. Even Obito and Rin couldn't get rid of the habit.

"Have you ever thought of what it would be like if you had grown up with us?"

The question caught me absolutely off-guard. Not that I haven't thought about it. I just didn't think he was also asking himself that. I mean, Itachi Uchiha and sentiment just doesn't go together.

My glare softened as I carefully let out the words out of my mouth. "I have. So many times..."

Kurama, standing behind me, shuffled nervously. "Ku-chan?" The gesture piqued my interest immensely as he never did that. _"Be careful. There's that Uchiha brat hiding in the forest."_

_Oh? Sasuke followed Itachi all the way here, despite the presence of all of the Kages and Tailed Beasts?_

Itachi, however, had no idea about my inner conversation with the Nine-Tailed Fox and spoke.

"Shizuka. I want you to do me a favor."

"Go on." It was clear that whatever he was going to ask of me, it was important to him. And I wasn't about to ignore my younger brother's last request.

"Could you... watch over Sasuke? I know you can't change his mind, I just want you to see if there is something you could do for him..."

I was touched by the depth of his concern for our baby bro, but I really didn't know if I could promise him that. I've been trying to get the youngest sharingan user to come to his senses for way too long. I was sceptical I could do anything more, even though I wasn't the same person anymore. I wasn't simply Sakura Haruno anymore...

Just as I was about to tell him I would do my best, but that he better not haunt me if I fail, I saw a movement from the corner of my eye.

Before my exhausted brain could register what was happening, my back was pressed against something hard, but fluffy, and my surroundings turned red.

The only thing that broke through my confusion was growling and raised voices.

_Great, my brain is officialy on a strike now, it seems. _

I actually squealed in surprise when a coherent answer came to me through my telepathic bond with my favourite fox.. _"No, it's not, smart-ass."_

_Then what is this all about?_

"_The Uchiha brat got angry at being tossed into your care and attacked you, saying something about 'getting rid of the annoyance'."_

_Okay... Then that explains the angry voices. I bet Itachi is beyond himself in fury... But that doesn't explain the fluffy feeling __**or**__ the red spectrum of colours._

"_Sure it does. The 'fluffy feeling' is my fur coat and the 'red spectrum' is my chakra shield."_

Refusing to acknowledge that my thoughts sounded stupid even to me, I tried to make sense out of the outer world, mainly of the voices I now knew belonged to my dear little brothers.

"...ere you thinking Sasuke?!"

"I can't believe you're protecting this annoying bitch!"

_Here comes the silence before storm. _I thought very humourlessly.

"You will not speak of our elder sister like that!" A noise sounding suspiciously like crunching metal resonated in my ears.

"Elder sister? _Her_?"

_Okay. Now's the time for me to join in on the family drama. Ku-chan, lower the shield._

"_No way."_

_Dammit, Ku-chan! You can stay by my side, I don't care, just lower the shield! _Irony of the situation did not escape me as I was arguing with Ku-chan much like Itachi and Sasuke did heartbeats ago.

"_Fine!"_ he spat and I winced at the light undertone of hostility in his voice. My refusal of his protection hit him hard. I patted his head in apologetic manner, while I watched the shield withdrawing.

I came face-to-face with two deadly pale Uchiha ninjas. Only one had a good reason to be, though.

"So, Sasuke. You found out, huh?" Kurama snorted indignantly at my statement, brushing one of his tails against my calf.

I was starting to believe he was a touchy-feely kind of... What? Animal? Fox? I had to stiffle a giggle at my stupid stray thoughts and I noticed Ku-chan grumbled, probably hearing all of that.

Sasuke peered at me and finally decided to address me directly. "Sakura. As much as I hate to admit it, you have my respect for inventing a genjutsu that works even on the strongest Uchiha."

I looked at him, dumb-founded. A genjutsu? He thinks I put Itachi under a genjutsu telling him I was his elder sister?

Fortunately, Itachi smacked the idiotic young male on the head, which earned him an approving nod from me.

"Then..." I said, closing my eyes. "Are you also under genjutsu right now?"

His breath hitched when he saw my red eyes.


	12. Bonds

**Chapter 12: Bonds**

I have to say, I was starting to get worried about Sasuke when he was standing before me, without breathing.

I extended my arm to him, trying to get his attention, but he didn't move nor did he give any indication that he saw the action. Which was pretty unsettling, considering his previous violent reaction to Itachi's words.

Despite Ku-chan's protests, I took a step closer to him, intent on grabbing his shoulders and shaking some sense into the youngest Uchiha.

That's when he fainted.

I stood there, stunned and helplessly watched as Sasuke's body came crashing at me in slow motion, knocking me to the ground.

"Guess the shock was too much for him to bear."

I scowled at Itachi. "You think?" I tried to gently roll the raven-haired teenager off me, all the while not taking my eyes off his pale face. Thankfully, he was breathing again.

I smiled smugly and said the first thing that came to my mind. "The last time I checked, fainting wasn't one of the typical Uchiha traits."

A deep chuckle was the only answer I got. I would have laughed along with my brother, were it not for the fact that Sasuke's body slid sideways and his elbow was pressed painfully into my stomach.

"Get him off me, dammit!" I gasped.

To my astonishment, the person who finally did get the man off me was not Ku-chan, who was by my side the whole time, but Itachi.

I sat there, rubbing my stomach and fighting the waves of nausea, all the while trying to figure out why my best friend hadn't helped me.

"_You said you didn't need my protection."_ reverberated through my mind angrily.

I groaned inwardly. _Ku-chan, you're my best friend! Of course I need you! You can't even imagine how pitiful I was without you guarding my back! … Can you forgive me? I don't want us to argue..._

"_Under two conditions. First: You'll bake me some cookies. Second: You have to promise me we will fight together the next battle."_

I smiled at the request. _You got it._

"So what are we going to do with this guy?"

I turned to see the person who spoke. I smiled at Killer Bee and continued to do so even while speaking. "We throw him into prison, of course."

Tsunade, who looked just about ready to jump me and render me unconscious, gulped and looked at me like I just hit my head and went crazy.

"Isn't he your brother?"

"So what?" I was sincerely confused about what they were suggesting. _What? Do they expect me to hug him and forgive him for running to that Snake-pervert? _I ran my fingers absent-mindedly over the left side of my neck just as Orochimaru's image flashed in my mind.

Composing herself, Tsunade told me what she meant. "I thought you would insist we let him go."

"Well, I didn't."

"No, you didn't." she repeated, smiling at me proudly. Somehow, it made me feel like everything would be all right.

_One day, it will._ I sent a silent prayer to both the Sky and Earth god.

"Okay, time to wake up Naruto." At that moment, I could swear everyone turned to stone.

_They couldn't have forgotten about him, could they? "Apparently, they have." _confirmed Kurama with a hint of dismay in his words. Then, he sprinted off to the said ninja's direction with me following after him.

I got there in time to hear Ku-chan mumbling something all the while shaking Naruto. When the blonde finally moved, it was only to hit Kurama on the head as if he was trying to turn off the alarm clock.

The sight was so funny I started to giggle, but what finally made me laugh was the fox's perplexed expression. I doubled over, holding my stomach in attempt to ease the pain from the lack of oxygen caused by my laughter.

"_What's so funny?" _

_N-nothing. _This time, I managed to rein in my emotions. It wouldn't do to make the Kyuubi angry at the boy.

"Allow me." I said out loud, crouching beside the ex-jinchuuriki. I reached into my antidote pouch strapped to my belt and took out a brown vial. I double-checked the label and opened it. An overly familiar scent hit me and I scrunched up my nose in distaste. Ku-chan also smelled the content and grinned wolfishly, already knowing my plan.

I chuckled one last time before shoving the vial under Naruto's nose. Immediately, he started sniffing the air, looking for the source of the aroma. In the meantime, I closed the vial and returned it to my pouch.

Three seconds later, Naruto jumped to his feet, yelling. "RAMEN!"


	13. Discomfort

**Author's Note:** Yuuki~desu! I wanted to thank you for your reviews and also make the story progress a lil' bit. Hope you'll like it. It's more on the fun side right now that Naruto is awake ;)**  
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**To: pepergirl001 **It does make sense doesn't it? I don't even know how I got that idea :D It was funny, really. Glad you liked it ;)**  
**

**To: The Keeper of Worlds **Ode de Ramen? You, sir, got that right :D:D:D Thank you :)

* * *

**Chapter 13: Discomfort**

"RAMEN!"

I winced at the volume of the exclamation, my ears ringing from it. _You okay, Ku-chan?_

"_Yeah. Got used to it already."_

I shook my head at him, grinning mockingly. _How can anyone get used to that? _

"Huh? Sakura-chan?"

I gave my full attention to the blonde now that he realized he wasn't alone. His was visibly confused. Whether it was because he found no ramen or because the first thing he saw was me, I didn't know.

Then, suddenly he gripped my shoulders, his face coming closer to mine. I had a urge to punch him senseless for it, but it wouldn't do any good since I just woke him up. Knocking him out again would be a stupid thing to do.

"What is it, Naruto?" I asked him, keeping the annoyance I felt at his actions well-hidden by a smile.

"Sakura-chan..." His voice was grave, his gaze sincere and serious as he kept looking into my eyes.

"You smell of ramen."

I sweat-dropped, my smile getting even more awkward. "Oh? And what if I do?"

He gave me his famous puppy eyes, which he always used when he didn't have any money left and wanted me to invite him out for, of course, ramen.

"No, Naruto I don't have any. I just used its essence to wake you up and it must have seeped into my clothes."

His disappointment was immediately shown as his shoulders slumped and face fell.

Again, I shook my head, addressing the more pressing matter.

"Naruto. Do you know where you are?"

The loud-mouthed ninja raised his head, looking at me with a dumb expression on his face. Then he looked around and almost jumped out of his skin once he saw Kurama.

"Hey, Kiddo." greeted the fox, flashing him a wolfish grin that showed just how amused he was by his previous vessel's shock.

"Ku-Kurama?" asked the pale ninja, his mind reeling for a sensible conclusion to the situation he found himself in, finding none.

"What is going on, Sakura-chan? Why is Kyuubi here? Where are we? Wasn't I fighting-"

Realization hit him and he assumed a battle stance, his eyes searching his surroundings.

"Tobi's dead, Naruto." I tried not to chuckle at his hysteric expression once he realized he lost sight of his enemy.

"What?"

I patted his shoulder reassuringly and was relieved to feel his muscles relaxing under my touch.

"Gaara and Tsuchikage defeated him while you were out of it."

I glanced menacingly at the group of kages and Bijuus alike, daring them to disagree with my statement. Everyone nodded, except Gaara who frowned at me. 'Please' I mouthed to him and in the end, he gave in, also nodding. _God knows what Naruto would do if he knew __**I **__was the one who defeated Tobi._

Naruto, however didn't seem to notice my silent conversation with the party behind us and kept talking.

"O-okay. What about Kurama? Why is he free? Did the seal break?"

"You could say that. Once the Ten-Tails was destroyed, every Bijuu except Hachibi, was released."

Naruto's cerulean eyes widened as he finally noticed our companions standing behind our backs.

"What the hell?!"

Ku-chan chuckled and I reluctantly did too. His exasperation at his own inability to grasp what was going on was cute.

"Calm down, Naruto. I'll explain everything but this is hardly the right place to do so. We must return to the Union Headquarters. The white Zetsus and Kabuto's army of undead is still attacking. All you need to know for now is that the Tailed Beasts, along with Itachi are on our side."

Naruto slowly composed himself, trying to cope with the new information he received while I urged him to move the party along with me.

The second we reached them, Raikage spoke up. "We're getting back to the headquarters. Now."

No one made a sound of protest and so it was decided we leave. Those who could run left immediately, leaving behind Kakashi, Gai, Tsuchikage, Naruto and me, since Itachi took unconscious Sasuke with him, following the kages.

Luckily for us, Son Goku and Ku-chan stayed behind, realizing our problem.

Son Goku carried the two unconscious jonin a the Tsuchikage, while Ku-chan changed his size into a slightly bigger than human-sized, gesturing for me and Naruto to ride on his back.

My teammate was hesitant, but I had no such problem. I stepped closer to him and Kurama wrapped one of his tails around my waist, lifting me onto his back.

I clutched onto Ku-chan's thick fur so that I would not fall of.

"Come on, Naruto! We gotta hurry!" I cried out as soon as I was comfortably and securely seated.

"B-But..."

I raised an eyebrow at him, trying to figure what was his problem.

"I'm not forcing you, kiddo. As long as you can walk on your own, I don't care." grumbled Kurama, which surprised me.

"Yeah, I'd like that. I need to clear my head and a run will help me do just that." replied Naruto.

I glared at him for his stubbornness, but didn't comment on it. He did have enough chakra to run on his own.

_Unlike me._ I thought bitterly.

"_Look at it this way, you got a good excuse to play with me." _said Kurama smugly.

_And play I will._ I sent back with more than a little mischief.

And so we set off.

Kurama ran slower than he would normally because I didn't want to lose sight of Naruto. Especially not now that there were so many enemies running around and Naruto had only his own chakra reserves to rely on. He could easily deplete his chakra without even realizing it since he didn't know his limits yet.

I was brought of my thoughts by the same ninja whose condition troubled me.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Yes?"

"I was wondering... Why is your chakra pattern so different from before?"

I almost face-palmed myself._ How could I be so stupid as to forget I released my chakra seals? Of course Naruto was acting so strangely._

"Well... I used a special jutsu to help Tsunade-sama fight Madara. Its side-effect was what changed my chakra..." It sounded lame but it wasn't that much of a lie. I did use a jutsu to release my seals and my intention wasn't to release my chakra but my other techniques, therefore it was a side-effect. More or less...

"What kind of jutsu?" Carefully, I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, relieved to see sincere curiosity in his eyes, and not suspicion as I expected.

"It's better if you do not know. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone." _I really wouldn't. Placing the seals freaking hurt._

"But you're alright now? There are no other side-effects?" he sounded worried and my heart clenched. _I'm really heartless. To keep on lying to this pure soul..._

I quickly hardened my resolve. _It's still too soon to tell him. _There were other, more vital things he needed to know. Compared to them, my identity was irrelevant.

"Yes." I beamed at him. "There is nothing wrong with me."

He nodded and we continued in silence, interrupted only by my giggling at Ku-chan's discomfort caused by my occasional tugging on his ears and pats on his head.


	14. Cursed Duties

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hey guys! I know these past chapters (meaning the last one mostly) seem insignificant but I need to establish some clear lines as to relationship between characters. But do not think this is just a filler! You would regret it! *winks* Enjoy!

**Chapter 14: Cursed Duties**

_I'm so booooored! Ku-chan, do something!_

"_If you haven't noticed, I'm busy running AND watching out for potential enemy ambushes. Don't act like a spoiled princess and entertain yourself."_

I blinked. Kurama seems to have gained some spunk during the last three hours. Or maybe it was just boredom speaking. Who knows?

Not knowing what to do, (except further aggravating the fox), I turned to the blonde ninja running alongside us. "So, Naruto... How was your training with Killer Bee?"

"I'd rather not talk about it, Sakura-chan." came his cold reply.

_First Kurama, now Naruto. What's up with them?_

"Look, Naruto. I'm sorry we sent you off on a false S-ranked mission but at the time, we thought it to be the best solution."

"I know you did."

That only baffled me more. _What's his problem then?_

"It's just... I keep asking myself that if I had been here..." he paused as if looking for the right words, which was rare for the loud-mouth. He usually said what came to his mind first.

"Maybe Yamato-taichou would be still alive..."

My eyes widened like saucers. _YAMATO-TAICHO IS DEAD?! _I shrieked inwardly.

Kurama whined at the screeching inside his head which apparently got transmitted through our bond, but I simply could not bring myself to care at the moment.

"I didn't know..." My voice nothing but a whisper, I tried to get my mind around not seeing the brown-haired man ever again. I felt some kinship with the guy who once was Orochimaru's experiment. And now he was gone. _Guess that was the way it was supposed to be. He was an artificial existence, after all..._

"I see." was my teammate's simple answer.

Thankfully, Ku-chan broke the awkward silence. "Hey kids. Sorry to interrupt you in your mourning but we've got to plan our next course of action."

"What is it, Kurama?" asked Naruto, quickly catching onto the fox's annoyance.

The beast simply squinted into distance and sighed. "We're nearing the headquarters."

I raised an eyebrow at his tone. "Then what's the problem?"

"There are guards there." he replied flatly.

"Yeah, well. It IS the main operation centre." remarked Naruto and we both had to look at him with disbelief.

"Nice of you to point out the obvious, kiddo, but I was referring to the fact that we were nearing group of ninjas ready to attack at any given time and I am a Tailed Beast on loose."

"Oh." The blonde's face fell and then he blushed in embarrassment.

I chuckled at the sight.

"No worries, guys. We are the last of our little group, meaning the others are already inside. Surely they've explained the situation."

Relief washed over me from my bond with Ku-chan and I patted his head to further help him relax.

"_You know, I was starting to wonder about what I would do if they attacked me..."_

_You would have shown them what it feels like to be a lunch._

"_...Is that how you see me?"_

_Nope. It's how I see your short temper._

The Kyuubi just grunted in response, not really able to defend himself since I spoke truth.

Naruto sped up once he too witnessed the makeshift building with his own eyes, which enabled Kurama to also speed up a little more. Not much, though.

The closer we got, the more exhausted I felt.

Just thinking of all that needed my attention now that I sent out my people into war... The continuous reports, thinking up effective battle strategies... And that was only the tip of the iceberg. I would have to discuss my every step with the other kages and change the tactics accordingly. Not to mention I would have to check up on position of human units regularly and report their position to dragons so they wouldn't meet.

Suddenly I felt like crying.

"_Now, now. It'll be fine. You aren't their queen for nothing. Surely you must be capable of handling the situation. So don't whine and get to it."_

_Geez. And I thought you truly pitied me._

Kurama turned his head to grin at me wolfishly, revealing his glinting sharp teeth. I sighed again and looked at Naruto, only to see him glaring at both of us.

"You know, Sakura-chan... You two seem to be getting along awfully well..."

"It was love at first sight, kiddo. Deal with it."

Naruto gaped at Kurama and then me, different disgusting scenarios obviously playing in his mind.

I smacked Ku-chan on the head hard enough to make him whimper and smiled sweetly at Naruto.

"Don't listen to the retarded fox. He must have forgotten to grab his brain when he was breaking out of the seal."

The loud-mouth paled, fear in his eyes. I raised an eyebrow at him, forcing my smile to stay in place.

"Sa-Sakura-chan. I don't think it's smart to punch him."

"Oh." finally realizing what made him so scared, I laughed.

"Don't worry. This guy's tame. He won't hurt me until I tell him to. **Isn't that right, Ku-chan**_?_" I practically purred.

The fox in question kept silent though he did shoot me a very irritated glance when he heard me call him by his nickname out loud.

"See?" I turned to Naruto.

He shook his head, not believing his eyes. "You'll have to tell me how you made him like you. If I had known you had a skill like that, my life would have been easier."

"That method wouldn't work on me if YOU used it, kiddo, so forget it." hissed Kurama, probably remembering our first encounter inside Kushina's seal.

I covered my mouth with my hand trying to stifle the giggling, unsuccessfully. By the time we got to the guards, I was only smirking.


	15. Two-faced Friend

**Author's Note: **Yuuki~desu! Hey guys! Do you remember me? Guess not. Then why don't you read the chappie? It might help refresh your memory XD *giggles* Enjoy!

**Chapter 15: Two-faced friend**

I noticed it the first time I met her.

The woman had two chakras inside her. One light, slightly temperamental but all in all a cheerful and kind one. The other, however, was its polar opposite. Heavy, dark and all-consuming. And it was calling to me, somehow. As if it wanted to devour me.

It took me a whole month until I could actually relax around her, and even then, I would be wary around the person Minato called his wife.

Kushina never once did show me how upset she was over my lack of trust towards her, but I could tell she was. I felt bad for making this hard on her. She did accept me with open arms when Minato brought me home with him, telling her I was their new child. She didn't ask me a thing of my past, only patiently waited for me to open up to her.

But the compelling dark chakra inside her made it hard for me to do so.

Sometimes, I would even avoid her on purpose, spending my day outside with Kakashi. All for the sake of getting out of the dark chakra's reach.

And at other times, my curiosity would get the best of me, making me probe the dark chakra's tendrils reaching out for me with my own, midnight blue energy.

That curiosity was what enabled the fated meeting.

I sat down at the corner of the room, inspecting Kushina's every move as she cooked. I smirked when I heard the song she was humming, but didn't comment on it. The fact her mind was focused on something else gave me the opportunity I had been waiting for.

I let out my own chakra, searching Kushina's surroundings for the ever-present sinister chakra.

Just like thousand times before, the foreign energy took hold of mine, tugging at it and compelling me to let out more.

I frowned as I realized that the tugging this time was more prominent than all the previous times.

A sense of wrongness assaulted my senses and I immediately tried to pull my chakra back into me, only to find it wouldn't move. Confusion and shock clouded my mind and before I knew it, the dark chakra took advantage of that and pulled my consciousness with it, inside Kushina's body.

Without so much as a hiss of pain, I sprung to my feet, my hand instinctively reaching for senbons I hid in my ponytail. I felt extremely vulnerable, standing there in the open like that, but that was the best I could do for now.

I scanned my surroundings carefully, surprised that the only thing worth taking notice of, was a gigantic cage before me. Its bars were made of some really tough-looking crystallized material with golden chains wrapped tightly around them. The sight reminded me too much of my past, of all the cages and chains and its prisoners, who I eventually saw die in the most gruesome ways.

The mild panic that rose within me when I found myself in this unfamiliar place disappeared right at that second, along with any other emotions I felt.

I was myself again. I was the 'old' Shizuka now. The one who had not yet met Dad. The one without emotions.

At that moment, the cage doors rattled, a low voice coming from the darkness inside.

"This is no place for the likes of you, kiddo. Get lost."

The warning did nothing to make me move. My posture still calm, I peered harder into the dark, until I could make out outline of something gigantic behind the bars.

As the being inside realized I had not heeded its words, it roared and turned its head to the doors, its great crimson eyes glaring at me hatefully. "Did I not tell you to get lost?! Run before I change my mind and eat you!"

Rage that seeped out of his mad shout managed to only spike my curiosity further. In fact, I even felt a twinge of amusement.

"Then why have you dragged me here?" I asked nonchalantly.

Yes, there was no doubt about it. The dark, ominous chakra originated from the hostile presence.

"Me? Dragged **you** here?" he chuckled harshly. "You are the one who came in uninvited."

_Nonsense. It was **his** chakra that practically kidnapped me. Then... Could it have done so without his knowledge?_

"Your chakra called for me."

The two bloody-red orbs narrowed at me, studying me. Looking for any signs of me lying, most likely.

"It does not matter. **I** had not called you. Get out." with that simple dismissal, it turned away from me.

I don't know what compelled me to do it, but I returned the senbons into their hiding place and came up to the cage, caressing its crystallized bars gently.

"What do you think you are doing?" questioned the creature I now recognized as a giant fox incredulously.

I myself did not know the answer, but it seemed like something in me did. "Watching you."

It gave away no indication of hearing me, but its silence spoke volumes in itself.

As the moment stretched on, the strange impulse from before took over me again. I took two steps forward, which left me standing right between the bars, not entirely inside the cage, but not exactly outside of it either.

This time, the fox reacted. "Foolish human. Do you wish to be eaten?"

"You said that before. And yet, I am still here." It might be a bit dumb of me to dare him but somewhere deep inside, I knew he wouldn't hurt me. And truth to be told, I probably wouldn't care even if he did..

"I've killed thousands of the likes of you. What makes you think I care whether you live or not?"

I couldn't help but notice how his voice, full of threat, was underlined with sadness. And that was what told me exactly why he hadn't killed me yet. It was simple, really.

"Because you are lonely."

The truth of it echoed in the empty confines of the darkness.

"I can tell. I am, too." I added whisperingly.

The beast growled, his eyes snapping open. "You, kid? Lonely? Don't make me laugh! Snotty brats like you always have someone following you around, ready to fulfil your every whim. You think I can't see how Minato follows you like a lost puppy? How Kushina watches out for you? How you play around with Minato's team?"

I ignored the biting mockery of his words, letting my 'little Shizuka' mask crack completely. The little flicker of innocence and compassion I constantly kept in my eyes died out, replaced by madness, savagery and sick humour.

"Yes. I am lonely. For no matter how many people there are around me, not one of them knows my true self. I am no less of a monster than you. I killed thousands. Men, children, women... It didn't matter. As long as they could serve as my test subjects, I couldn't care less. And sometimes, I find I still don't."

Hearty laugh erupted from the dark beast, the ground shaking with the sound. "Are you trying to tell me that Minatos' little girl is a twisted killer?"

My own lips curled into a dark, psychopathic smile. "As twisted as they come."


End file.
